Time for truth - McAleese figures challenged

The long-awaited terms of the commission of inquiry into the mother and baby homes, one which will span almost a century, were announced to more or less widespread acclaim last week.

The latitude afforded to the inquiry seems equal to the huge, cathartic challenge at hand. This is essential if the pain of a past riddled with tragedy and terrible abuse is to be even partially assuaged and recognised in a way that makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to facilitate a recurrence of such bestiality.

The integrity of the inquiry must be beyond question and today’s report that only around half of the 1,663 deaths that occurred in Magdalene laundries were recognised by the McAleese Report must sound alarm bells for everyone working in the area. So too must the suggestion from the Justice For Magdalenes research group the submissions it made to the McAleese inquiry were ignored. We’ve had enough Irish inquiries for Irish scandals — let’s have the unvarnished truth about the mother and baby homes.