Norma Foley
Kerry · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Therefore, the means by which the motion proposes to address the challenges raised may not specifically align with the approach being taken, but I absolutely accept that the underlying goals are the same and I accept the Deputies' sincerity in seeking to achieve them.”
“I intend to bring forward specific proposals arising from this work towards the end of the year, depending on progress and the outcome of ongoing engagement with stakeholders.”
“Working with that office, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is absolutely committed to seeking to expand and reform specialist disability services in order to maximise individuals’ independence and support them to live lives of their choosing in places of their choosing.”
“A number of new measures are in train to move towards planned provision of residential supports, including the provision of planned residential placements under a new initiative, as outlined in the HSE’s 2026 national service plan.”
“I absolutely accept they are fighting tirelessly to highlight the need for us to ensure their loved ones are cared for and provided with appropriate housing, as and when it is needed. For far too many families, placements are made at the last minute, causing distress to individuals and their families.”
“In line with commitments contained in the programme for Government and the national human rights strategy, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is now developing a new vision and reform strategy for disability services.”
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“While planning decisions are a matter for the relevant planning authorities, the circular issued by the Minister noted that, in assessing planning applications at such locations, evidence of unrecorded burial sites should be treated as a material consideration and that appropriate conditions may be attached to potential developments. My predecessor, Deputy Roderic O’Gorman, also brought the findings of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation to the attention of Cork City Council and An Bord Pleanála, highlighting the unresolved questions with regard to the location of burials on the site and, where any development takes place at the site, the need for that to involve archaeological investigation and ongoing monitoring.”
“The Government's response to the legacy of mother and baby institutions is set out in the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. On foot of the action plan, in November 2022, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage wrote to local authorities, including Cork City Council, requesting that development plan processes give adequate consideration to incorporating appropriate measures to ensure the protection of unrecorded burial sites associated with an institution.”
“It considered that the only way that it can be established whether burials had taken place in the grounds is by an excavation of the entire property, including the parts of the former 200 acre estate that have now been built on, which it did not consider feasible. While I understand there have been calls for further investigations, it is really important to note that there are very differing views among survivor groups about how the site should now be treated. I am aware planning permission has recently been granted for the building of apartments on a portion of the privately owned land at the Bessborough site. For the record, I must be clear the State does not own the land in question.”
“The locations identified as possible burial sites, some of which have now been built on, were assessed by forensic archaeologists but no evidence was produced to suggest any of the identified sites contain human remains. The commission also actively investigated the possibility that former residents of Bessborough might have been buried in other locations. It examined the burial records of burial grounds that had been in operation in the area. While it identified some burials, it was unable to establish the burial location of the majority of children who had died while resident at the institution. The commission considered that it is likely that burials did take place in the grounds of Bessborough but, despite its extensive investigations, was unable to find any evidence of a location.”
“The commission also examined aerial photography taken by the Irish Air Corps in 1951. This is interesting because the large majority of child deaths at Bessborough occurred before this date and the commission’s view was that if there had been burials in the grounds, high-resolution aerial photographs would show some ground disturbance or anomaly on the landscape to give some indication of where remains might be located. However, no visible features on the Bessborough landscape indicated any obvious site of the remains of such a large number of children. In addition, the commission issued a national public appeal seeking information from individuals who might have had information about the burial places of children who died in Bessborough. All information was followed up.”
“The commission was particularly concerned that none of those who had been involved in the running of the institution were able to identify the burial place of the children who had died there. Given the lack of documentary evidence, the commission engaged forensic archaeologists to carry out cartographic assessment of possible unrecorded burial arrangements in the grounds. The forensic archaeologists and the commission’s researchers reviewed all available cartographic sources and aerial images. A site survey was also conducted. While there are a number of locations within the grounds where burials could have taken place, no evidence was found of burials anywhere except the congregation burial ground, which is not nearly large enough for the number of children involved.”
“In total, 9,768 mothers and 8,938 children were admitted to Bessborough until it closed in 1998, which is not that long ago. The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes had wide-ranging powers and conducted extensive inquiries, searches and test excavations at institutional sites in an effort to locate the burial places of children. It made extensive efforts to establish where the children who had died at Bessborough were buried. The commission examined the records of the deaths in the institution and cross-referenced these with information provided by the General Register Office. It also reviewed the records compiled in the institution and confirmed that there was no information about burial arrangements there.”
“Up to the start of 1945, no serious steps were taken by the congregation, the South Cork Board of Public Assistance or the Department of Local Government and Public Health to address the problem, but finally, in January 1945, the Department of Local Government and Public Health decided to implement Ms Litster’s recommendation to close Bessborough to new patients for a period. The mother superior in charge of Bessborough was subsequently replaced. In December of 1945, the Department of Local Government and Public Health wrote to county councils and boards of public assistance to inform them they could resume sending pregnant mothers to Bessborough. This is just one aspect of the decades-long history of Bessborough examined in the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.”
“One diligent and determined inspector, Alice Litster, raised the alarm about the fact that 70 of the 114 children admitted to Bessborough in the year ending 31 March 1943 had died. All but one of the infants were under one year old. As the commission’s report documented, Ms Litster identified the unsatisfactory milk supply to the home and the failure to breastfeed as the main causes of the high death rate and the unhealthy condition of the children. She later recommended that Bessborough be closed to new admissions for at least three months.”
“The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was established in 2015 to investigate and report on a range of issues associated with mother and baby institutions. One of those was Bessborough mother and baby home. As the commission’s report documented, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary had been invited to set up a mother and baby home in Cork by the head of the Cork Board of Guardians. The congregation decided to purchase Bessborough House, a large Georgian house on 210 acres, and opened Bessborough mother and baby home in 1922. While it was owned and run by the congregation, it was largely paid for by public funding. Inspections of Bessborough mother and baby home were carried out by the Department of Local Government and Public Health.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle as ucht an deis a thabhairt dom labhairt anseo inniu. I appreciate the opportunity to speak today on developments at the site of the former mother and baby institution at Bessborough. The legacy of the mother and baby institutions is a deeply sad one that continues to be a source of profound hurt and pain for many people across this country. I am very conscious of the sensitivity of this issue, particularly for survivors and former residents of the Bessborough institution, as well as for their families. Indeed, there may well be members of the public in the Gallery today who were born in Bessborough or who had family members there.”
“The Government is already progressing major legislative reform through the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2025, which will strengthen co-operation across State agencies, enhance the statutory framework and place the national review panel on a statutory footing. These reforms will address many of the issues raised in this motion without risking disruption to front-line services. I acknowledge the concerns motivating this motion but the Government cannot support the proposal to dissolve Tusla. It is an organisation of more than 5,000 people dedicated to the welfare and protection of children. The Government remains firmly committed to building a child protection system that is safe, robust, transparent and centred at all times on the best interests of the child.”
“Time is running against me but I want to also draw attention to the manner in which a significant programme of reform has been recently implemented in Tusla, which is a key part of its response to addressing any of the pressures it faces. Tusla's integrated reform programme has been in place since January 2026 and aims to promote equity in service availability, promote capacity and promote equality. I know the Deputies have been briefed on this reform measure. Regarding the response to high-profile tragic cases, I would like to address the steps we are taking with Tusla and others. Deputies will be aware that the national review panel carries out independent reviews of deaths of, and serious incidents involving, children in the care of Tusla.”
“Tusla’s work is also subject to external review by bodies including HIQA, the Ombudsman for Children, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Health and Safety Authority, the Comptroller and Auditor General and the national review panel. One of these oversight bodies, HIQA, in its most recent annual review of Tusla from 2024 stated, "children living in statutory residential care, foster care, special care and detention were receiving good quality safe care." I note that there are concerns expressed in the motion about Tusla’s engagement with elected representatives. I recognise the importance of keeping elected representatives informed and, indeed, Tusla is aware of that. Tusla is also conscious, as the Deputies will appreciate, of the importance of GDPR.”
“This suite of policies and procedures is the fundamental basis for good governance and control, and there is an onus on the Tusla board and subcommittees of the board to regularly review and update these as required. As Deputies are aware, a new chair, Ms Madeleine Clarke, has been appointed to Tusla. I have met with Ms Clarke and will continue to have regular engagement with her and the board to advance the work of Tusla. I also regularly engage with Ms Kate Duggan, the CEO of Tusla, to discuss matters of concern in Tusla’s ongoing reform programme. Tusla is accountable to the Oireachtas, particularly through the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Equality and the Committee of Public Accounts.”
“While Tusla staff, quite correctly, have statutory independence necessary for the performance of their duties in assessing and providing essential services to children and families, Tusla’s actions as described in its annual business plan must align with the goals and priorities set for it in the annual performance statement. Tusla’s finances are closely monitored so that the Department is assured that Tusla is spending its budget only as approved at budget 2026. Tusla is subject to internal controls overseen by the audit and risk committee. It is audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Tusla has established policies, procedures and guidelines across all functions and service delivery areas.”
“Last year, Tusla provided approximately €231 million in funding to community, voluntary and charitable organisations delivering services for children and families on the ground on behalf of Tusla. These services include youth work programmes, counselling supports, parenting programmes, community-based family supports and family resource centres. As the House is aware, I have increased the number of family resource centres across the country by 15, to 136. Community, voluntary and charitable organisations delivering services for children and families with Tusla funding provide accessible supports that assist families on the ground. I want to assure Deputies that Tusla is held to account through robust governance and oversight arrangements. There are no blurred lines of accountability.”
“There are now 340 social work course places across eight colleges each year and an additional 25 places from two new colleges will be in place by January next year. Tusla’s workload is increasing all the time, with a 46% increase in the number of referrals received since 2021. Last year, as I said, Tusla received in excess of 106,000 referrals. In addition to this, there has been a 500% increase in separated children seeking international protection arriving in Ireland since 2022. I also wish to recognise the work of the community and voluntary sector, which plays a central role for Tusla in delivering early intervention, prevention and family support services at local level.”
“An increasing number of foster parents are signing up to support children. Last year, 223 new Tusla foster carers were approved, which is up from 211 in 2024 and is the highest number since 2020. The CSO has found that approximately 90% of children who left care since April 2018 and of all children aged 18-23 years by January 2024 were in substantial employment, enrolled in school, or in further or higher education for each of the years 2019-2022. The staff retention rate is 95% and the number of social workers and social care workers has grown from 2,830 whole-time equivalents in 2022 to 3,152 today. I have already made reference to innovative solutions to recruitment challenges.”
“Every year, staff engage with tens of thousands of families, and the majority of those interactions are positive and successful. I commend the work of Tusla staff evidenced by the following. The overwhelming majority of over 106,000 referrals annually to Tusla result in children and parents being supported in their homes. Decisions are made based on the best information available at any point in time and include professional assessment, always with the child's welfare and safety at the centre of decisions. Wherever possible, and where it is considered safe to do so, children are supported to remain within their family, with safety plans and wider supports in place. Some 99% of children in care are assigned an allocated key worker. A high level of children in care - 87% - are retained in foster care.”
“However, the Government has supported Tusla in expanding graduate pathways, establishing new apprenticeship routes, investing in specialist grades and improving retention. Year-on-year increases in Tusla staffing demonstrate the impact of these measures. I recognise the solutions Tusla is deploying, including its work with the higher education sector in developing pathways to social work and social care work and with CORU in developing an apprenticeship pathway. Another important development has been the foundation of a new children's residential services training college in Tusla's headquarters in Dublin to increase the number of staff available for special care centres. Tusla's mission is to support the safety and well-being of children, particularly those whose circumstances are complex or who need additional support.”
“Successive Governments have recognised the need to assign appropriate resources to Tusla. Investment in recent budgets has allowed Tusla, among other things, to increase supports to foster carers, hire additional staff, including social workers, begin to increase capacity in residential care and special care, and improve IT systems. Tusla's budget allocation in 2026 grew by 14% to €1.4 billion. This includes a capital allocation of €35 million, which will allow it to increase State-owned residential services and reduce reliance on special emergency arrangements. Recruitment and retention challenges exist across health, education and other sectors, and indeed across many sectors in the broader economy. Consequently, these staffing challenges are not unique to child protection.”
“I acknowledge the commitment of social workers, social care workers and all professionals who safeguard children every single day. Tusla is at the sharp end of a changing Irish society and confronts the consequences of drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, mental health difficulties and intergenerational poverty, to name just a few challenges. For the information of the House, I want to put it on record that all referrals to Tusla are screened within 24 hours for risk of immediate harm. Where there is an immediate risk of harm, there is an immediate response. Tusla operates independently of day-to-day departmental control, and that is as it should be. It allows Tusla staff to deliver consistent, regulated and evidence-informed services nationwide for child protection and child welfare.”
“The structure was designed to strengthen governance by bringing together the previously dispersed functions into a single unified body with its own management, oversight systems and statutory duties. Tusla's establishment represented the most significant reform of child safety in the history of the State. This model ensures that child safety and welfare, family support and educational welfare functions are exercised with professional independence, free from day-to-day departmental direction, while remaining fully accountable to the Minister under statute. Tusla is now an organisation of over 5,000 people, including over 1,700 social workers and over 1,400 social care workers. I know Deputies appreciate the complex and sensitive work Tusla staff do every single day to help children who often have no one else in their corner.”
“Its creation responded directly to systemic failures identified in 29 inquiries and reviews, which produced 551 recommendations on improving State responses to child abuse and child protection. Tusla's remit was always much broader than child protection and welfare alone. On its establishment, it took on the full functions of three existing national services - HSE children and family services, the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board - as well as certain psychological services and services responding to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence at that time. The agency was mandated to deliver a coherent, integrated and accountable system, replacing the previously fragmented model spread across many bodies.”
“I also acknowledge that this Private Members' motion reflects the most understandable public concerns about recent tragic cases involving children who had been in the care of Tusla or at some point were known to Tusla. I absolutely accept that it is right that there should be public concern, scrutiny and questions asked. However, in response to the call in this motion for the dissolution of Tusla and the transfer of its responsibilities to this Department, I do not agree. Let me outline in the first instance why Tusla was established in 2014. Tusla was established following a key recommendation of the 2012 Report of the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak about the governance of child protection and welfare. I agree with the Deputies' contention that the welfare and protection of children is among the State's most fundamental responsibilities. It is a duty that the Government takes with the utmost seriousness. I strongly welcome and endorse the recognition of the critical role performed by Tusla staff in delivering essential services, often in a very demanding environment, to the most vulnerable children and families. I wish to put on record my gratitude to the staff for their commitment and dedication to families and communities right across the country.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes that: — Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, operates as the single dedicated agency with a clear statutory remit; — Tusla is held to account through robust governance and oversight arrangements; — Tusla is served by well qualified staff who are committed to delivering essential child protection and welfare services to vulnerable members of society; — staff in Tusla enjoy statutory independence, necessary for the performance of their duties in assessing and providing essential services to children and families; — Tusla has initiated a significant integrated Reform Programme in 2026, which is: — promoting equity in service availability, through more equitable Regions and Areas, consistent structures and spans of control, and transparent resource allocation; — promoting capacity, through targeting resources where most needed, scaling capacity in line with demand, and using evidence-based data for service planning; and — promoting quality, through more consistent, integrated, digitally enabled services, leaner business processes, multidisciplinary teams, and a focus on face-to-face time with children and families; and — these reforms provide for the creation of a single record for each child and young person, which will support integrated working, including a more streamlined referral and allocation system for residential care, improved communications, accurate data to improve decision making on an individual level, improved resource allocation and enhanced monitoring of performance on a local regional and organisational basis; notes that: — Tusla has experienced a 46 per cent increase in referrals since 2021, and a 500 per cent increase in separated children seeking international protection in Ireland since 2022; — in the almost 12 years since its establishment, Tusla's annual budget has more than doubled, going from €609 million in 2014, to over €1.3 billion for 2026; — Tusla has seen budget increases in most years, with significant investment annually since 2020, including a 14 per cent increase in 2026; — the increased funding for 2026 includes a capital budget allocation of €35 million, which will be directed to increasing Tusla-owned residential care settings, including special care, thereby reducing its requirement for privately operated Special Emergency Arrangements; — investment in recent budgets has allowed Tusla to, amongst other things: — increase supports to foster carers; — hire additional staff including social workers; — begin to increase capacity in residential care and special care; and — improve Internet Technology systems; — notwithstanding the increased demands, the good work of Tusla is evidenced by: — the overwhelming majority of referrals to Tusla resulting in children and parents being supported in their homes; — 99 per cent of children in care are assigned to an allocated key worker; — retention of high levels of children in care who are in foster care, as 87 per cent of all children in care are in foster care; — the increasing number of foster parents signing up to support children; — the Central Statistics Office finding that approximately nine in ten children who left care since April 2018, aged 18-23 years by January 2024, were in substantial employment, enrolled in school, or in Further or Higher Education for each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; — the staff retention rate is 95 per cent; and — innovative solutions to recruitment challenges, including its work with the Higher Education sector in developing pathways to social work and social care work, and with CORU, in developing an apprenticeship pathway; and — so many community and voluntary groups nationwide carry out great work, funded and overseen by Tusla's Commissioned Services team, in providing essential services to vulnerable people, and this includes Family Resource Centres, counselling services and area-based childhood programmes; and further notes that Tusla, as an organisation of over 5,000 people, was established to have a specialist management team with a deep knowledge, experience and understanding of operational service delivery in the area of social work and social care, as opposed to the Department's more general focus on advancing policy and legislation, which extends to the important areas of Disability Services, Early Learning and Care and School Age Care and Equality.".”
“It is equally important to recognise that despite these positive achievements, there is much work still to be done. I am working to address the barriers preventing women’s full participation in society, and the first of the two upcoming action plans under the new national strategy for women and girls, overseen by a dedicated interdepartmental committee, will absolutely drive this work forward. Women’s equality is a goal we can all share and all work for together. In the words of Malala Yousafzai, the world’s youngest ever Nobel laureate and a tireless champion for the rights of girls and women in education, "We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” I look forward to working with all of Senators here in this regard. Half of us being held back is not acceptable. We need to work together so that we can all succeed together.”
“The strategy requires all Government Departments to make a commitment to collect, use or disseminate equality data and to develop the organisational capacity to fulfil this commitment. It will allow us to use equality data to develop sound and inclusive evidence-informed policies to improve outcomes for all. Our efforts will align with the launch of the European Commission’s gender equality strategy 2026-30, which is due to be published today, 4 March. As Ireland prepares to host the EU Presidency this year, I am committed to ensuring that gender equality and equality itself are at the forefront of our agenda. Our Government’s commitment to adopting a systematic approach to achieve gender equality is evidenced by the progress I discussed here earlier.”
“It will strengthen the transparency of pay systems, improve public understanding of the relevant legal concepts and enhance enforcement of the rights and obligations relating to equal pay. The Government is fully committed to full implementation of the pay transparency directive. It is vital work that must be progressed that will directly benefit women and girls and advance gender equality both in the workplace and in wider society. I am also pleased to inform Senators that Ireland’s first national equality data strategy was recently approved by Government and will be published shortly. The national equality data strategy 2026-31 has been developed by the Central Statistics Office and the Department in partnership with a dedicated working group drawn from across Government and civil society.”
“This is just one important example of the action we have taken to support women and girls at every stage of their lives. Our commitment to gender equality in the workplace does not stop there. This year, the Department will have a focus on transposing the pay transparency directive. Under this directive, EU companies will be required to share information about how much they pay women and men for work of equal value and to take corrective action if their gender pay gap exceeds 5%. It also provides for compensation for victims of pay discrimination and penalties including fines for non-compliance. This directive is crucial to empower workers, and especially women, to enforce their right to equal pay through a set of binding measures on pay transparency.”
“Gender pay gap reporting now applies to all employers with over 50 staff. It is mandatory for these employers to publish their gender pay gap reports on their own websites, but not all of them are doing this. Many employers do not realise the difference until it is staring back at them in the form of a gender pay gap percentage. I am committed to bringing this information into the open to inform the public, employers and, indeed, Government policy. I am going to bring forward legislation to make it mandatory for relevant employers to upload their reports to a centralised reporting database, that is, the gender pay gap portal. This portal will encourage more employers to meet their legal obligation and, more importantly, drive meaningful action to eliminate the gender pay gap.”
“The Department has also led efforts and implemented a range of measures to support women in the workforce. It is widely known that business does better when there is diversity among senior decision-makers. Ireland has fully transposed the EU directive on gender balance on corporate boards to ensure that listed companies achieve a more gender-balanced spread in their board members. Ireland has already made significant progress in these areas. According to the 2025 annual report of Balance for Better Business, women now represent 42% of board members in Irish stock exchange companies. We have also made great strides in our efforts to narrow the gender pay gap, which is a crucial measure of inequality in this domain. Measuring this gap and seeing who is most affected by it will help show us what we must do to close it.”
“Since then, parent’s leave and benefit for fathers and mothers was increased from seven to nine weeks in August 2024. The combined durations of maternity, paternity and parent’s leave and benefit now equate to 46 weeks’ paid leave for a two-parent family. Mothers also have an entitlement to 16 weeks of additional maternity leave, which is unpaid. The programme for Government commits to a number of actions that support women and their families, including the examination of the extension of parent’s leave. We are also working on an ongoing basis to address specific needs that arise for parents. Since November 2024, for instance, female employees can postpone their maternity leave if they need ongoing treatment for a serious health condition. This is an example of the kind of practical measure that can make a significant difference to women.”
“There are also strong links between this new strategy and our other equality strategies, including the national Traveller and Roma inclusion strategy 2024-2028, launched in July 2024, and the national LGBTIQ+ inclusion strategy, launched in June 2025. The Government has also significantly increased family leave entitlements, recognising the importance of supporting parents to reconcile care for their children with their participation in employment. First 5, the whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families 2019-2028, committed to extend entitlements to paid leave incrementally over the course of the strategy so that by 2028 parents in Ireland would have access to a range of family leaves for the first year of their child's life.”
“A special national youth assembly on gender equality was convened while the strategy was in development. This assembly was specifically designed to provide young people with an opportunity to discuss how gender inequality affects their lives, explore solutions, and make recommendations that were reflected in the final strategy. We recognise that women and girls are diverse, and while this diversity brings strength, it also brings a host of different needs that require different policy responses. Disabled women in particular must be supported to ensure that they are included in employment opportunities and decision-making, and that they can access opportunities just like everyone else.”
“The Department worked with a variety of stakeholders, including the National Youth Assembly and the National Women's Council, to ensure that the strategy reflects the priorities of women and girls at all stages of life in a modern and ever-changing Irish society. The strategy will be implemented by two action plans. The first action plan will cover the period 2026 to 2028. It is nearing completion and I hope to present it to Government shortly. Work on this action plan is being overseen by an interdepartmental committee to ensure a holistic, whole-of-government approach. Our work to implement the strategy will have a particular focus on supporting women and girls over their entire life. That is one reason why a youth perspective was prioritised in the development of the strategy.”
“However, we know there is much more we need to do across all measures of gender equality, and we should not shy away from that. The strategy sets out a broad range of objectives aimed at reducing inequalities between women and men. This whole-of-government plan aims to level the playing field for women and girls of all ages and backgrounds by eliminating all forms of discrimination against them and building on the progress made under its predecessor strategy. Our strategy acknowledges that the challenges women and girls face are diverse and commits to supporting women in overcoming these and achieving their full potential, placing them at the heart of Government action.”
“In so many ways it is a better, fairer place than it was in our mothers' and certainly in our grandmothers' time. That is something we should both acknowledge and celebrate. I am particularly proud to have launched our new National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030 last November. This strategy has a single, simple, but crucial vision: an Ireland where all women and girls can thrive in a gender-equal society. l am so very grateful to the inspirational guest speakers we had at the launch on that day: disability rights activist, Joanne O'Riordan; Irish rugby international, Lynne Cantwell; Sheenagh Rowland and Hope Omoregie from the National Youth Assembly; and from my own home town of Tralee, Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy, the winners of last year's BT Young Scientist competition. They are a really impressive group of young women.”
“This reflects progress on women's and girls' equality across a number of areas, including health, education and business. There have also been incredible achievements across the board insofar as we have seen Irish women excel in so many different disciplines and fields, including - to name just a few - sport, science, business, media and the arts. I say this with the incredible Jessie Buckley, a fellow Kerry woman, in mind, as we all wish her the very best of luck at the Oscars in the coming weeks. Equality between women and men has been a core principle of public policy and law in this country for a long time. Successive Governments have worked to remove barriers to women's full participation and to address the inequalities we still face. Ireland today is a very different place for women and girls.”
“I begin by welcoming everyone here today on what is an extremely significant day for me in my role as Minister with responsibility for gender equality, for my colleagues across the Government, and for everybody here in the Seanad also. This time last year, it was with great pride that I addressed the Chamber to mark International Women's Day as the newly appointed Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. Today, I welcome the opportunity to address the House again on the subject of gender equality, and to update Senators on our progress in this area over the past year. Recently, we welcomed a significant improvement in Ireland's rankings within the EU on gender equality, according to the official EU gender equality index. We now rank sixth in the EU, moving up from our previous position of ninth place in 2024.”
“It is not intended as a means of preventing family members from finding answers or memorialising their loved ones. I would be happy to work with the Senators in progressing the actions I have outlined here today. In that regard, I am also open to engaging with family members and committing to advancing survivor-centred local memorialisation.”
“The Senators also raised the importance of memorialisation of known or presumed burial sites in our meeting this week. The Government has already committed to local memorialisation through the measures set out in its action plan for survivors and former residents. I am conscious of the importance of advancing the commitments in this area. I have asked officials to work with the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government and the Department of Education and Youth with a view to bringing forward proposals to support inclusive local memorialisation as a priority. I know the Senators will be and are disappointed at the reasoned amendment on this Bill. I hope they can accept that the honest and sincere intention is to ensure that the criteria for excavation of remains is proportionate and in the public interest.”
“The report of the investigation was published in full in the commission’s final report, with the survey and drain inspection reports included as appendices. I understand from the Senators that there may be a perception among family members that because of the criteria in the Act, the door is closed to them. I want to say here and now that is not so. Following publication of the commission’s report, my predecessor engaged with a local group in Sean Ross and provided funding for it to conduct a survey of land beside the institution’s burial ground, land that was not investigated by the commission. I am similarly open to engaging in relation to proposals for funding for additional surveys at the sites of former institutions as part of the annual Estimates process.”
“It did so in response to information that it had received that the graveyard, when still in use, had drainage works inserted through it and, based on this assertion, there may be no remains at the site and it may never have been used as a graveyard. Site surveys, reviews of planning files and an independent drain inspection was followed by a forensic standard test excavation, with multiple trenches opened in areas across the site where anomalies were identified by the surveys. The investigation found that coffined infant burials were located across the designated burial ground and had not been impact by drainage works. The commission concluded that no further investigation was warranted.”
“It carried out assessments and a survey, put out a public call for information and spoke to people with information about burials, but was unable to find any evidence of burials of children who died there in the grounds. As no evidence of locations was found, the commission did not consider it feasible to excavate such a large site, significant parts of which, we must acknowledge, have been built over. The Senators also raised the issue of burials at the former institution in Sean Ross. In this regard, the commission used its powers to conduct a forensic archaeological investigation of the burial ground at the site.”
“From speaking to Senators, I understand that a particular concern is a perception among family members, particularly those with links to Bessborough, that the fact that the location of their relative’s burial is unknown is not acknowledged as manifestly inappropriate through the definition in the 2022 Act. There is no suggestion that because something does not meet the evidential standard for full forensic excavation under the Act it should, therefore, be considered appropriate. Let me be clear: the fact that those who ran an institution do not know where the children who died in that institution are buried is not just inappropriate, it is completely and utterly unacceptable. The commission tried to establish where the Bessborough children were buried.”
“It is, therefore, possible that the Government, through this legislative amendment, will be asked to establish numerous independent bodies to excavate numerous large sites across the country without clear evidence of the burials or manifestly inappropriate burials. Relevant is the very broad definition of "institution" in the 2022 Act. It is not restricted to mother and baby institutions but applies to all residential facilities for adults or children, or both, where a public body had or has a role. The scale of potential excavations could not be considered proportionate or in the public interest, particularly where manifestly inappropriate burials have not been identified.”
“Related to this point, the Bill provides for evidence of such burials to include missing burial records and records that indicate an unusually high death rate at an institution. As as been referenced, we know from the commission’s report that high rates of infant and child mortality were a marked feature of the institutions it investigated. One reason for this was the difficulty of controlling the spread of infection in such historical congregated settings. The report also found that while public burial grounds, such as Tuam, were subject to statutory regulation and central government oversight, statutory regulations did not apply to private burial grounds such as Bessborough and there was no obligation on them to keep a register of burials.”