12/03/2018 - Selection Panel

Minister Katherine Zappone has this week announced the members of a Selection Panel, to manage the appointment process to the Collaborative Forum for former residents of Mother and Baby Homes.

The members of the selection panel will work together to design a public information campaign and will select representative members from those persons who express an interest in participating in this process. The Collaborative Forum will consist of 20 members including the Forum Chair Mr. Gerry Kearney.

12/02/2018 - Consultation on the future of the site of the former Mother & Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway

In December 2017, Minister Katherine Zappone published the Tuam Expert Technical Group (ETG) R//eport which examined the appropriate courses of action at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co. Galway. 

In this report, the ETG identified five possible options for responding to the discovery of infant remains at this site. These options have regard to internationally accepted best practice and the ETG report has assisted in helping us understand the complexity of the options now available to us.

12/01/2018 - On 5th December 2017, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs published the 3rd Interim Report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. In its report the Commission outlines the practical challenges in completing its three reports in the available time and requests an extension of one year.

12/12/2017 - The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone, published the Report of the Expert Technical Group (ETG) entitled Options and Appropriate Courses of Action available to Government at the site of the former Mother and Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway.

05/12/2017 - Statement by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone TD

  • Extension of time to ensure crucial questions are fully addressed

  • New Collaborative Forum will give a strong voice to former residents

  • UN Special Rapporteur to be invited to assist Ireland in responding to issues relating to Mother and Baby Homes

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone, has today published the Third Interim Report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

01/12/2017 - The facilitators’ draft report of the meeting held in Cork on the 6th October will be circulated to participants for comment shortly and will be submitted to the Minister following a short period to allow for such responses to be made.  If you attended the meeting on the 6th and have not received a copy of the report by Wednesday 3rd December, please contact the Department by phone at 01 6473200 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

05/11/2017 - Expert Technical Group Tuam Report

Minister Katherine Zappone has received the report of the Expert Technical Group dealing with the site of the former Mother and Baby Home, Tuam, Co. Galway.  The multidisciplinary team of experts was appointed to provide technical advices to Government on the future of the site after the Commission’s announcement in March 2017 that they had discovered significant quantities of human remains at the former Mother and Baby Home.