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THE SHEER NUMBER of registered maternity homes presents a “difficulty” for the Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating mother and baby homes.
Core group
In an inter-departmental report published today into what the government knows about these institutions, it lists the “core group” of Mother and Baby Homes as:
However, the Commission have been asked to include a wide range of institutions within their scope of their inquiry.
The institutions come under the what were known as registered maternity homes (Registration of Maternity Homes Act, 1934). However, while many of the homes catered for unmarried mothers, their function was not solely confined to that function.
Under the Maternity Homes Act 1934 every local authority in Ireland had to register the maternity homes in the county with the Department of Health.
Maternity Homes
The returns for registered maternity homes for 1947 seen by TheJournal.ie, shows the large scale task that the Commission faces.
The government report states:
… the scale of the challenge can be seen, even on this basis, with over 200 locations having been identified from the records relating to 1949.
The overall difficulty presented from this, of necessity, very curtailed review of the Registration of Maternity Homes Act 1934 records is to distinguish between those institutions which played a significant role in relation to unmarried mothers in a manner that is consistent with the areas to be addressed by the Commission of Investigation.
The report stated that this needs to be done in such a way that it does not unintentionally “bring in other areas which would undermine the effectiveness and timeliness of the Commission of Investigation process”.
Institutions
A number of calls have been made to include a range of institutions such as orphanages, infant homes, children’s homes and residential care centres where children were accommodated but where mothers were not present.
In the report it was stated that this is “understandable” since amongst these will be some such institutions that may have had a relationship with a mother and baby home and/or where issues such as adoption and vaccine trials which form part of the mother and baby home controversy may also be relevant.
However, a broad-ranging investigation into such institutions would be huge in scope and
would have the potential to repeat much of the work of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse which looked in detail into such institutions, said the report.
The housing for all plan is just gibbbydouk. Imo.
@Paul Gorry: “Government approves ‘comprehensive’ review…….into whether Ernie & Bert from Sesame Street were lovers. :-)
@Paul Gorry: Why didnt Haughey, Reynolds, Ahern, Bruton and Kenny do it? Because to do so would damage them and their rich property owner friends!!! That’s the real scandal. Ireland has been run by oligarchs for a long time and we have ignored their self enriching actions.
Oh really?? A “comprehensive” review,, well that’s that sorted so….. Jesus wept.
Massively needed. Good news!
Hopefully now we see some building upwards, some density and some realistic planning laws.
@Local Ore: how can itt be good news….it’s just a review we all know nothing will really change after a 26 months a a few million spent on consultants
@David cotter: I don’t disagree that this is just another review that will run and it’s very likely nothing will come of it but at least it’s something.
I don’t believe there is a world where any review would recommend the same, massively outdated, planning laws at least
@Local Ore: there are no tradesmen, end of.
@Ian James Burgess: or reasonably priced materials available
@Ian James Burgess: More than enough from Europe willing to come and work.
@Aranthos Faroth: and live where?, there are no houses…like that song, there’s a hole in the bucket dear Liasa
@Aranthos Faroth: with an improving economy in Eastern Europe and the cost of living in Ireland, I say not as many as before. Also bad for Irish tradesmen as they’ll drive prices down like they did before.
We know about planning, we had the Mahon Tribunal. Corruption all round.
When you see some of the very high density developments in out of town areas (with few if any facilities) you have to wonder what’s driving decisions in an Bord Pleanála. Planning appears to be a dark art in Ireland and in total need of transparent and deep reform.
@CONOR: Governments in Ireland need to address the fact that strategy in this area has not worked. Build a large scale social housing development but designed as a community, with all the resources factored in at the planning stage like schools and shops, transportation and education, recreation open spaces etc etc. It will be cheaper for the taxpayer and better for the residents. Ballyfermot for the 22st century. Developments of 1500 1 bed build to rent apartments is not the way to address this. Build people homes in communities. Not just this government’s fault by the was, policy failures for decades but the proposed solutions of high density on every corner is not the way forward
Any chance they would talk some sense into Clare County Council and the absolute nonsense that’s going on with Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon and the most ridiculous bottle neck stifling tourism in West Clare. Instead of removing a pile of rubble, they propose to spend 4 million of taxpayers money building a new route knocking several houses and one viable business. Jesus wept.
As the Titanic was sinking the Captain of the ship approved a comprehensive review of the deckchair allocation system.
Jasus is there no end to this bulls hite.
It’s what Martin and other career politicans have always done, refer the issue at hand to be reviewed by a committee. It enables him to sub contract the problem to a committee who’ll take years to come back with their findings. The lad can’t make a decision or give an honest answer on anything.
The government just want to fix the planning laws in favour of big developers building high rent apartments. And how can the freedom of information act be fix if some people get away with deleting messages and destroying documents..
@Odd Socks: yes the review will recommend making it easier for big developers to get planning permission while simultaneously making it far more difficult for the individual to get planning.
Watch this space. They have been putting up barriers to people building by direct labour for years.
This is not a government for the people.
Yesterday he announced a review of patients waiting lists and today a review of planning laws. Wonder what soundbite he will come out with tomorrow. He is just ticking the boxes.
More time lost. Wasn’t the SHD process supposed to address such issues??
@Eoin Roche: it was but as bord pleanala were judge and jury then judicial reviews became the only appeal option. The planning system overall as a result is bogged down in legal argument where planning decisions themselves rather that the process of determination of decisions are coming under scrutiny by judges who are not planners. Frivolous Third party rights of appeal and endless court battles are not good for getting things done
Let’s have a review about the review about the review!
A government run on hot air by useless baloons.
They’re still hiding the report into planning corruption in Donegal. They’re up to their necks in it and trying to pull the wool. Anyone with connections or damning information will be untouched.
It was 2002 when Gerard Convie, senior planner with Donegal County Council made allegations about a “golden circle of corruption” operated within the planning system in Donegal.
https://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/eu/36-papers-today/planning/16851-
When Letterkenny General Hospital flooded in 2014. Planning was the main issue. It’s even being reported the same company behind manufacturing pyrite blocks also were involved in the Meenbeg wind farm environment disaster.
Elections come ff/fg will be gone….then a new government with a new plan,goes on and on
Great, start with the nonsense local planning laws that stop ‘non locals’ from buying land and building houses unless there living there 7 years. Madness that you can’t buy land anywhere on the Island and apply for planning unless your from there. Any citizen should be able to buy and build wherever they want subject to the same rules. Or, to level the playing field don’t allow rural people to relocate to urban centres and own property as ‘they’re not local’. Effectively corrals people into souless overpriced housing estates
Whatever is needed must be implemented. Soft rules must be broken!!
Classless photo.
How long have we waited for this? Amazing the energy that gets put behind plans and words when the poll’s are not doing what they are supposed to do. “They” had ample opportunity to deliver a fit for purpose housing plan and failed to deliver over the decades. Asleep at the wheel or lining their own pockets?
Haha
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