Children's Minister urged to give update on mother and baby homes report leak

Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman has been asked to release details about the investigation which he ordered after parts of the report were leaked. Picture: Leah Farrell/Rollingnews.ie

The chair of the Oireachtas children's committee has called on Roderic O'Gorman to provide an update on the investigation into the leaking of the Mother and Baby Homes report.

Sinn Féin TD Kathleen Function who chairs the committee, has written to the Children's Minister asking that he release details about the investigation which he ordered after parts of the report were leaked.

Sinn Féin received legal advice earlier this month that leaking the letter constituted a criminal offence and has urged Mr O'Gorman to report the matter to the gardaí.

"This breach of trust caused considerable distress and upset to survivors. The nature of the details contained within the report are deeply sensitive and many survivors feel re-traumatised by the insensitive way in which they were revealed," Ms Function wrote in a letter to the minister.

She added that everything possible must be done to ensure that survivors’ distress is not added to and that survivors are treated with the dignity, sensitivity, and respect that they deserve.

"Can you please outline the current status of this investigation? What steps have been taken so far, to establish responsibility? What steps are still due to be taken?" she asked.

"Your department has a duty to ensure that a leak of this nature never happens again and I would ask that this issue is treated with the seriousness it warrants."

Meanwhile, the committee has also invited members of the commission to attend to answer questions about the final report.

Senator Erin McGreehan, who is a member of the committee said: “This report, particularly its language in the summary, needs to be queried. We owe it to the women and the children who were born in these homes. They feel let down by this language and feel their testimonies are not believed."