Survivors didn't receive report because Government 'didn't have their addresses'

Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman: Reiterated to the committee that an 'investigation' into the leaking of the report to a Sunday newspaper will be set up. File picture

Mother and baby home survivors did not get hard copies of the Commission of Investigation's report because the Department of Children did not have their addresses, a committee has heard.

The Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs had a private 90-minute meeting with Minister Roderic O'Gorman today, where members queried a number of failings by the Government.

Survivors were outraged when the 3,000-page report was leaked to a Sunday newspaper before its release last Tuesday. 

They were further hurt at not receiving hard copies of the report — they were instead given a digital link which was not user-friendly, notwithstanding that many of the women are in their sixties and older and did not have access to a computer.

When the issue was queried by Fianna Fáil senator Erin McGreehan, she was told that "they didn't have the names and addresses of the survivors and that the commission had them", a committee source said.

"It makes no sense as there was a collaborative forum that would've had that information, or they could've reached out to advocacy groups.

"It's so lazy," the source said.

Mr O'Gorman reiterated to the committee that an "investigation" into the leaking of the report to the newspaper will be set up.

The committee will meet again next Tuesday exclusively on the mother and baby home report and it is highly likely that the chair of the commission will be called to appear before the committee to answer on the report.

Sinn Féin and Labour published legislation today in order to allow for adopted people to access their birth certificates.

Although the Government has signalled it will also bring legislation, Mr O'Gorman said it will be the end of the year before it is scrutinised, which survivors say is too long to wait.

Sinn Féin's Civil Registration Amendment Bill 2021 will give adopted people a legal right to obtain a copy of their own birth certificate, the party said.

Labour published its Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2021, saying it "will provide improved information and tracing access for adopted people".

"We believe that for far too long, State policy has been skewed towards secrecy and towards privacy of birth parents, and has failed to respect the information and identity rights of adoptees," said senator Ivana Bacik.