Tuam babies: Irish government announces commission of investigation into homes

BBC News
June 10, 2014

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27775763

People initially thought the grave was for remains of those who died in the famine

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said a full investigation was needed

The home was run by nuns between 1925 and 1961

Irish Minister for Children Charlie Flanagan has announced a statutory Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes in Ireland.

The cabinet has been discussing the deaths of almost 800 children at a convent-run mother and baby home.

The remains of some children were found in a concrete tank in County Galway.

The grave in Tuam was initially thought to date to the 1850s when discovered 40 years ago.

Historical records show that 796 children, one as old as nine, died at the home between 1925 and 1961.

Ministers have been receiving a progress report from an inter-departmental group, which was set up by the government to examine the matter.

Mr Flanagan told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ that the government will receive an initial report from the investigating team by 30 June.

He said: "I believe that Tuam should not be looked at in isolation because over the last century we have had mother and baby homes right up and down the country

"It's absolutely essential that we establish the facts and in this regard it's a time for sensitivity rather than sensationalism, a time for seeking the truth rather than indulging in speculation."

The minister said he hoped that the inquiry would examine several issues, including the high mortality rates at mother and baby homes and the burial practices following these deaths.

On Sunday, one of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church in Ireland said a full inquiry was needed.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said the truth must come out.

No burial records

Earlier, it emerged that extensive records from the mother and baby home made no reference to the burial locations of children that died there.

Child and family agency, Tusla, possesses several original ledgers from the home, that record information about discharges and admissions from the home between 1921 and 1961.

The nine ledgers include information on the total numbers of mothers and children in the home for each three months period, deaths and births.

However there are no burial records nor any mention of burial locations in any of the material.

The material was initially passed to Galway County Council in 1961 when the home closed, and then was transferred to the Western Health Board and then the Health Service Executive before Tusla received it at the beginning of the year.

The information contained in the ledgers is strictly confidential but a Tusla spokesperson said they would be made available to any state inquiry.

The home was run by nuns between 1925 and 1961

The home was run by nuns of the Bon Secours Sisters for 36 years.

In a statement, Bon Secours said it handed its records to the state after it closed its doors.

The Tuam home was one of 10 institutions to which about 35,000 unmarried pregnant women are thought to have been sent.