Mother and baby homes inquiry breached statutory duty to survivors

Mother and baby homes inquiry breached statutory duty to survivors

Roderic O'Gorman

The government has admitted that the inquiry into mother and baby homes breached its statutory duty by failing to provide a draft copy of its report to the victims and survivors who gave evidence to it.

The admission forms part of a settlement in eight judicial review cases which were launched in response to the publication in March of the inquiry’s final report, which some survivors alleged had misrepresented them.

Roderic O’Gorman, the minister for children, equality, disability, integration and youth, will publish an acknowledgment alongside the final report stating that a number of survivors do not accept the accounts given in the report as a true and full reflection of what they said.

Mr O’Gorman said he acknowledged 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 of investigation to correct statements within the report that they believed to be wrong.

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