Mother and baby report deadline delayed again
By Maurice Garvey
THE February 18 deadline for the publication of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation’s final report, came and went, once again without any resolution for survivors.
Prior to the general election, government sources indicated the scale of the investigation (14 mother and baby homes and four county homes), would see it pushed back further again.
David Kinsella is concerned about the deadline
Clondalkin resident David Kinsella, who was born in St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home, fears the political impasse following the election could see the deadline pushed out even further.
Mr Kinsella said: “This delay again is a deliberate plot to stretch details of the report until June 26, just before the Dáil shuts down for the summer.
“The government don’t want to face the facts of this headline from last year. However, the UN Human Rights will soon open the government’s box of hidden agendas of indelible justice and survivors pending High Court cases.”
Kinsella and other survivors were also critical of former Minister of Children Katherine Zappone’s role in the commission of inquiry, and protested outside her former constituency offices if Tallaght ahead of the election.
Initially, the report was to be published in 2018, but two one-year extensions were granted for a report.
“Survivors are in severe stress and anxiety, particularly those seeking where loved ones may be buried,” said Kinsella.
He said the February 18 deadline was a “day of mourning and yearning as survivors face another delay.”
“We want nothing more or less than other survivors got, like the Magdalene women, redress and recognition, nothing more and nothing less.”
