Taoiseach wants commission members to go before Oireachtas

Mother and Baby Homes protest. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov/ RollingNews.ie

The Taoiseach says that it would be "helpful and correct" if members of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes were to come before an Oireachtas committee.

Controversy has surrounded comments made by one of the commission members yesterday at an event with Oxford University.

Professor Mary Daly, a commission member, admitted that the testimony of 550 survivors was dismissed as she claimed it did not "meet robust legal standards of evidence" that needed to be included in the main report.

Survivors and representative groups have expressed shock and anger at Prof Daly's comments including her belief that allowing people to give confidential evidence while the commission carried out its work was "not a wise idea".

Seanad leader Regina Doherty called the comments "simply outrageous" and has written to Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman calling for a new commission to be established.

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said Prof Daly's appearance at the Oxford event has "added insult to injury" to survivors.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach said: “The survivors must be the number one priority. The Government is committed to following through on the recommendations of the report, in particular with the Information Tracing Bill, the Memorial Centre, the protection of records and redress.

“We are working with the Minister for Children on that. It would be very helpful, and the correct thing to do, for those who were on the Commission to engage with the Oireachtas Committee and to outline their perspectives on the inquiry.”

The final report of the commission was published earlier this year, but was dogged by controversy as survivors registered their dissatisfaction at its findings and its working.

Mr O'Gorman told RTÉ radio this afternoon that it was “not appropriate” that a “restricted event” was used to discuss the report.

"The Commissioners have been deeply involved in this for five and a half years, they’ve met with so many survivors, they’ve read the material, they know what survivors have suffered and I suppose I’m hoping - and I’m inviting them to act in a compassionate way - that they will see the degree of upset that these particular comments have caused, and I think the best way that that can be resolved is through that respectful dialogue at an Oireachtas Committee."