Call for mother and baby home inquiry
Mr Flanagan branded the Tuam mother and baby home revelations “deeply disturbing and a shocking reminder of a darker past in Ireland when our children were not cherished as they should have been”.
Galway East Fianna Fáil TD Colm Keaveney called on the Taoiseach to offer an apology on behalf of the nation for what had happened at the Tuam home.
Sinn Féin demanded a public inquiry into what occurred and the offer of compensation through the redress scheme.
However, Mr Flanagan did not indicate what action the Government was considering taking.
“I am particularly mindful of the relatives of those involved and of local communities. There are a number of government departments involved in this process. The cross-departmental initiative under way will examine these matters and report to Government on how they might be addressed,” he said.
Mr Keaveney, who complained that he was denied Dáil time to bring up the matter, said: “These shocking revelations about the appalling treatment of hundreds of babies and their mothers must be dealt with by the highest levels in government.
“We need to hear from the Taoiseach about the Government’s plans to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of these children, the dumping of their remains, the treatment of their mothers, and the State’s role in the activities at this home.” He said Mr Kenny should intervene even though he is on a visit to the US.
Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams called for a full inquiry.
“The Church and State cannot be allowed to abdicate their responsibility for what occurred. It is time now for the Government to face up to this shameful period of our recent history and shine a light on the dark secrets of mother and baby homes,” Mr Adams said.
Fianna Fáil’s jobs spokesperson Dara Calleary said: “There is very little that is more urgent and needs greater political attention right now than the appalling revelations surrounding the mother and baby home in Tuam and the devastation caused by the threatened loss of hundreds of jobs at Bausch + Lomb in Waterford.”
“And yet, all of our requests for debates on these too extremely urgent issues were rejected in favour of requests from two government backbenchers about weather warnings and local school places. While these local issues are important, as is the crisis in Libya and Garda investigations into computer crime, I do not believe they should take precedent over the far more pressing developments in Tuam and Waterford.”
Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said: “There is no room whatsoever for avoidance tactics by the Government. Tuam is not an isolated case. What is needed is a full public inquiry into the practices at all mother and baby homes across the State, to shed light on what led to the shocking infant mortality rates, the burial of untold hundreds of babies in mass graves, and the routine illegal adoption and trafficking of an unknown number of the surviving children.
“A full public inquiry is the only acceptable option, the only conceivable course of action when confronted with evidence of this nature, the stuff of nightmares and of deep national shame.”
