To ensure there is no ambiguity on the position of the Tuam Home Survivors Network in relation to recent announcements by Katherine Zappone and the Government, kindly note the following:
The aims and policy of the Tuam Home Survivors Network are
- The exhumation of all human remains at the Tuam site.
- The creation of a DNA database of all survivors, family members of survivors, family members of those registered as dying in the Tuam home and family members of any persons known to be missing from the Tuam home so as to identify as many as possible of the human remains.
- That all aspects of the forensic exhumation of the Tuam mass grave be undertaken by the only legal authority both permitted and obliged to do so, the Coroners Service under the auspices of the Department of Justice.
It is beyond debate that the Minister continues to act ultra vires in this matter. That is our clear position.
The fact that Coroner for North Galway has failed in his duty to convene an Inquest or that successive Attorneys General have failed in their duty to appoint another Coroner, or the fact that the Department of Justice has failed to fulfil its role, does not mean that their powers devolve on the Minister for Children by default.
It is difficult to see what if any role the Minister for Children has in this matter. Any suggestion that she has the power to control the process of bringing closure to the Tuam story is constitutionally and legally absurd and we do not in any way support it.
29/01/2019 - Tuam Home Survivors' Network, representing survivors of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home and families of the lost children of Tuam has this morning urged the Government to begin collecting their DNA samples immediately.
This work should proceed in a way that will be of greatest benefit to the greatest number of survivors, victims and families. For this to be achieved, as much information as possible should be obtained from each sample of human remains. The quantifying of the DNA extracted is the paramount task to be accomplished.
Government approves an extension of time to bring certainty to the timeframe for completion of the Commission’s work
New timeline does not delay the programme of action on the Tuam site
Detailed interim report on burials to be submitted in March 2019
Statement by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone TD
22/01/2019 - The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone TD, has today (22 January 2019) published the Fourth Interim Report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.
In the Report, the Commission provides an update on its work with a particular focus on the practical and logistical challenges which must be factored into managing a statutory investigation of this scale and complexity.
At its meeting today the Government agreed to a request from the Commission for an extension of one year to allow it to complete its final report. This additional time will ensure the investigation can complete the analysis of diverse sources of information as it seeks to comprehensively address the wide range of concerns referred to it.
Minister Receives First Report of the Collaborative Forum
14/01/2019 - In mid-December members of the Collaborative Forum met in Miesian Plaza to present Minister Katherine Zappone with the Forum’s first report.
The Forum was established to facilitate and empower persons who endured these institutions to contribute to decisions on matters of concern to them and their families. In this way the voices of survivors can be a significant input into the Government’s response to these hugely complex and sensitive matters.
30/12/2018 -Tuam Home Survivors Network welcomes confirmation by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, that excavation work will begin on the site of the former Tuam Mother and Baby Home during the latter half of 2019. We note that experts will be appointed in the interim and legislation passed in order to carry out the works which will commence on a phased basis.
It is now four and a half years since Alison O’Reilly broke the story of Tuam to the world press on Sunday the 25th of May, 2014. In March 2017, Minister Katherine Zappone advised that the remains uncovered during the test excavation dated to the period of the home (1925-1961) and were of babies and children aged between 35 fetal weeks and three years. This revelation, while confirming what many survivors and family members suspected, brought a new urgency to the situation. Finally, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon’s report focused on the human rights which continue from cradle to beyond the grave attributing to the #796 in an effort to provide much needed dignity and respect to the lost children of Tuam and six mothers whose burial place remains unknown.
Collaborative Forum
07/12/2018 - The Collaborative Forum has now met on four occasions and is due to meet again in early December. Minutes of the July, September and October meetings are currently available to view on our website.
We understand that the members of the Forum are working hard to produce a first report with a focus on priority issues around health and well being supports, identity and memorialisation.
Minister Zappone would like to thank the Forum Members for their dedication and the hard work they have shown in 2018 and she looks forward to further engagement with the Forum in 2019.
14/09/2018 -The second meeting of the Collaborative Forum was held on Wednesday 12th of September in City Hall, Dublin.
The membership of the three sub-committees, as envisioned in the Charter for the Collaborative Forum, was agreed by Forum members