Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-18
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Holly Cairns (SD), Cork South-West

It is incorrect to say that there is not specific or strong enough evidence. The commission saying that it is likely that there are remains of children on the grounds is specific and strong enough evidence to prove that there probably is. At the very least, it warrants an examination.
There seems to be a perception that this is a normal planning application, that there is no sensitivity and that there is no criminal aspect to the situation. The Government is treating it like that, claiming it cannot do anything now that planning permission has been granted. If a child were to disappear today and it was suspected that they were buried in a particular plot of land, it is safe to say there would be a forensic examination and, following that, the coroner would be called. All of the criminal and legal processes would follow, and rightly so because the family of that child would deserve justice. Why do the families of the 829 unaccounted for and disappeared children not deserve that whereas the families of the children in Tuam do?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18