Minister defends plans to seal Mother and Baby Home records for 30 years

The Little Angels Plot in Bessborough. 

The Minister for Children has defended plans to seal records relating to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes for 30 years, saying it was to protect "a really valuable asset" while also stressing the need to address "legacy issues".

The Mother and Baby Homes Commission is due to publish the findings of its five-year investigation on October 30 next, with Minister Roderic O'Gorman saying it will be a huge work of more than 4,000 pages that will span a 75-year timeframe.