No price on truth: ‘Unprecedented cost’ of full mother and baby home death inquiries

A range of full inquiries to determine how children died in mother and baby homes will carry an “unprecedented” cost to the State, an Oireachtas Committee heard today.

The State will need to go to extraordinary lengths to get to the bottom of how around 9,000 children died in mother and baby homes, according to Professor Phil Scraton at Queens University.

However, a price cannot be put on justice, Prof Scraton, who is best known for his extensive research into the Hillsborough disaster, told the Oireachtas Children’s Committee.

“It will cost what it takes. I don’t think we can put a price on truth. We cannot put a price on accountability,” he told the Committee.

“This will be unprecedented in its cost, in its organisation, in its structure, it is a price that will have to be paid. There is no question in my mind about that,” Prof Scraton said.

Due to “mass deaths” taking place, there is a need for “multiple inquests.”

“This would be a major investment for the Irish state, there would be no question about it,” Prof Scraton said.

“But justice does not come cheap when the State has, over years, administered injustice,” he added.

Galway historian Catherine Corless also told TDs and Senators that if there is to be an investigation into every death in a mother and baby home, this could take around 25 years.

She said that the State has been “dragging its feet” in seeking justice for survivors and families who have relatives buried in sites such as Tuam and Bessborough.

“There seems to be an absolute lack of will from the Government to act on this. It’s been dragged out and dragged out,” Ms Corless said.

“It’s time we make up to them and treat them as individuals, as Irish citizens.”

Local knowledge could play a crucial role in researching and identifying how every child died in the homes, the Committee heard.

Ms Corless said that in her own research, she found that locals were reluctant to talk about the Tuam mother and baby home as some local businesses engaged in trade with the home.

She said that they had put it at the “back of their minds” and even requests from former Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone for people to come forward with local knowledge “fell on deaf ears”.

Online Editors