28 May 2021

Statement from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth: Mother and Baby Homes Records

Department seeks updated contact detail for individuals who may be named in archive of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, and related institutions

In 2015, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters was established by the Government to provide a full account of what happened to the women and children in these homes from 1922 to 1998.

Earlier this year, following the publication of the Commission’s report and the dissolution of the Commission, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth became the data controller for all the personal data contained in the Commission’s records and databases.

The Department is now responsible for protecting and fulfilling important rights of the individuals who are identified or identifiable in the Mother and Baby Homes (MBH) records. These rights are recognised in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.

As data controller, and as part its commitment to fulfilling data protection rights of individuals, the Department is inviting those who may be identifiable in these records to provide up to date contact details. This will allow the Department to make contact with these individuals, should their data be included in records requested under GDPR.

Those who may be identified or identifiable in the records include:

Former residents of one of the institutions;
Relatives of the former residents, including adoptive family members;
Mother and Baby Home employees or service providers;
Person who gave evidence to the Confidential Committee;
Members of a religious order associated with the MBHs;
Healthcare Professionals associated with the MBHs;
State officials associated with the MBHs;

A public information campaign will run over the coming weeks to ensure all individuals who may wish to contact the Department are aware of this.

ENDS

Contact Information

Department of Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth .
media@equality.gov.ie

Notes to editors

Anyone who wishes to contact the Department to provide up to date contact details should email, write or call with their:

Name,
Details about how they might be identified in the Mother and Baby Home archive,
Preferred contact details.

Address for letters: Information Management Unit. Dept of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Miesian Plaza, Baggot Street, Dublin 2.

Email address: imumediacampaign@equality.gov.ie

Phone number: +353 1 647 3281

Information will be maintained securely and only seen or used by those processing data protection requests.

More information is available at the dedicated website at gov.ie/MBHrecords, including information in relation to the types of data the Department holds and how that data is used by the Department. This website also provides information on how to make a Subject Access Request. This relates to Subject Access Requests under GDPR only and not to the Proposed Birth Information and Tracing General Scheme and Heads of Bill that was published by the Minister on 11 May 2021. That Scheme must pass through the Houses of the Oireachtas before it becomes law. In the meantime, applications to the Archive held by the Department can be made by submitting a subject access request. Further information in relation to the Birth Information and Tracing legislation is also available on the website.