AN independent office which will lead an intervention at the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam has been ruled out in the case of Bessborough.

Last October, the Government agreed to make an order to establish such an office to oversee the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification — if possible — and reinterment of children’s remains at the site of the former institution in Tuam, Co Galway, under the Institutional Burials Act 2022.

The act is not site-specific and allows for excavations and identification programmes at other institutional sites should manifestly inappropriate burials be discovered.

In response to a parliamentary question submitted by Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on children and youth affairs, TD for Carlow and Kilkenny Kathleen Funchion, Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman said such an office cannot be established at Bessborough under the existing legislation.

“In relation to Bessborough, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters concluded that it is likely that some of the children who died there are buried in the grounds, but was unable to find any physical or documentary evidence of this,” he said.

“The commission carried out cartographic and landscape assessments of possible unrecorded burial arrangements and also followed up with people on responses to its appeal seeking information about burials in Bessborough.

“As no evidence of locations was found, the commission did not consider it feasible to excavate the full available site, which amounts to 60 acres.

“As the location of burials is, sadly, unknown, a proposal to establish an Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention to oversee excavation, recovery, and identification of inappropriately buried remains at that site cannot be brought forward under the act.”

Mr O’Gorman said that last November, the minister for housing, local government and heritage wrote to all local authorities requesting that development plan processes “give adequate consideration to incorporating appropriate measures to ensure the protection of unrecorded burial sites associated with an institution”.

“I have also publicly emphasised my views that any proposed development in the grounds of Bessborough should have due regard to the commission’s reports and give adequate consideration to the views of all survivors and family members, including requests for appropriate access and respectful memorialisation in due course,” said Mr O’Gorman.

The final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes found that 923 children who were associated with Bessborough died. The report states that the burial location of the majority of children who died there is unknown.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork South-Central, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, expressed dissatisfaction that the Office of Authorised Interventions will not be engaged to investigate the Bessborough site.

“The minister suggested in his response there is a significant lack of evidence to support a comprehensive excavation, recovery, and identification of inappropriately buried remains at the site,” he said.

“This puts kybosh to any hope many survivors had that the site would be included within the remit of this new office’s work and the hundreds of unmarked infant graves at Bessborough would be investigated and potentially located.”

Mr Ó Laoghaire said he acknowledged that there are differing views on whether the site should be excavated or not, but said he would implore the minister to ensure that the office is “given the independence and liberty to pursue intensive investigation of this site”.

Meanwhile, in a statement to The Echo, the Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance (CSSA) said it does not support excavations at Bessborough.

The group has previously said it believes that while the exhumation of remains in other sites, such as Tuam, may be an appropriate response, it is not appropriate for Bessborough.

CSSA has repeatedly called for the preservation and memorialisation of the sensitive lands at Bessborough and said that in the absence of legislative intervention, the issue remains unsettled.

CSSA said that the entire site has been heavily disturbed over the years.

It also pointed to a 2021 ruling by An Bord Pleanála which refused planning permission for a proposed development along the eastern boundary of the site in which the board stated that it was not satisfied that the site was not previously used as, and does not contain, a children’s burial ground.