Irish govt approves establishment of office to oversee Mother and Baby home excavation

The Irish government has approved the establishment of an office to oversee the excavation of a former Mother and Baby home. 

The proposal - put forward by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman - was greenlit today (Wednesday July 27) and will involve the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification and re-interment of children's remains at the site in Tuam, Co Galway. 

Speaking today the minister said, "The Government has today approved my proposal for an intervention at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam under the Institutional Burials Act and a draft Order directing intervention will now be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas for approval. 

"These are the final steps necessary in order to appoint a Director and start the excavation in Tuam. Affected families and, indeed, the people of Ireland have waited a long time for this. If approved by the Houses I will appoint a Director in the Autumn with a view to starting the excavation as soon as possible.” 

Establishing the 'Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam' follows on from the signing into law of the Institutional Burials Act 2022 earlier this month. 

The Act, which provides the underlying legislative basis for the intervention, allows the Government, by Order, to direct an intervention at a site where manifestly inappropriate burials of people who died in residential institutions have taken place. 

A draft of the Government Order directing Minister O'Gorman to intervene, as well as a statement of the reasons for making the Order, will now be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas for a resolution. 

If approved by the Houses on their return in the autumn, the Tuam Office will be established and a Director will be appointed.