From top: Mother and Baby Home; The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation members at the commission’s launch in 2015, from left: Professor Mary Daly, Judge Yvonne Murphy, Dr William Duncan
Mary Harney, who has been dubbed the ‘Resister in Chief’, celebrating today’s news at her home in Galway.#MotherAndBabyHomes pic.twitter.com/Kz9KOvMVgs
— Órla Ryan (@orlaryan) December 17, 2021
This afternoon.
Via RTÉ News:
The State has admitted in the High Court that the rights of nine survivors of mother-and-baby homes were breached when they were not given a draft copy of the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes before it was published.
The court had heard a challenge by two women, Philomena Lee and Mary Harney, aimed at quashing parts of the final report.
Further submissions were due to be heard in advance of the court giving judgment on their cases. The two cases represented a total of nine similar actions.
Senior Counsel Michael Lynn said the State was consenting to a declaration being made in each case that the State had failed in its duty to provide the parts of the report relevant to each woman in advance of the finalisation of the report.
An acknowledgement by the Minister for Children that each of the women takes issue with parts of the report will be published alongside the report as well as online and in the Oireachtas Library.
Meanwhile…
…Mr Justice Garret Simon Said:
“Each of the applicants had suffered greatly during the time of their residence in the mother-and-baby homes and the court had sympathy for the position they had found themselves in.”
State admits rights of mother-and-baby home survivors were breached (RTE)
Meanwhile…
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth, Roderic O’Gorman
This afternoon.
Via Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth:
‘The Minister acknowledges that, because the relevant parts of the draft report were not furnished to the applicants, they did not have the opportunity to ask the Commission to correct statements within the report that they believed to be wrong. The statement will identify key paragraphs of concern to the applicants in these cases.
‘Finally, in light of the evidence on identity presented by the applicants, the Minister has consented to a declaration that the Commission, by failing to provide the applicant, who is identifiable in the Final Report, with a draft of the report, or relevant part of the report, as required by section 34(1) of the Commission of Investigation Act 2004 prior to submitting the Final Report to the Minister, acted in breach of statutory duty.
‘The Minister hopes that this settlement gives some comfort to the applicants.’
Well done to all involved. A much deserved win.
‘The Minister and the Government were told often enough of the many flaws within this report and the disregarding even to the point of paraphrasing evidence presented to the Committees, both Investigative and Confidential by survivors of the Institution. Still the State would not budge.
Quote from Government website:
‘As part of this settlement, the Minister will publish an acknowledgement alongside the Final Report stating that a number of survivors do not accept the accounts given in the Final Report as a true and full reflection of what they said to the Confidential Committee or the Commission of Investigation
The Minister has always recognised and accepted the concerns of some survivors about the Final Report and this written statement formalises that acknowledgement’
Then this:
.
‘The Minister appreciates that the findings and recommendations of the Commission are important to many survivors. While the Minister acknowledges that specific paragraphs are not accepted by a number of survivors, he is also aware that some of those paragraphs may reflect the experiences and evidence of other survivors’
Really ?
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/b981a-settlement-of-applications-for-judicial-review-of-final-report-of-commission-of-investigation-into-mother-and-baby-homes/
The report is as Bodger says ‘DEAD’
Will extending the criteria of those who recieve financial compensation finally push this onto the doorstep of the various church organisations? Would sinn fein take that role if they were in government? More than an all ireland government this would be the true test of allegiances.