Justice Minister orders Garda report into Tuam childrens grave

Galway Bay fm newsroom – Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald has ordered a Garda report on the information Gardaí may have about the deaths of hundreds of children at a mother-and-baby home in Tuam. The announcement follows an online petition with more than 15 thousand signatures from Ireland and abroad calling for such an investigation. Minister Fitzgerald says the purpose of criminal investigations is to lead to the prosecution of persons where the commission of offences has been established. She adds that the Justice Department is liasing with Gardaí so that the information can feed into the interdepartmental process. Children's Minister Charlie Flanagan is overseeing the interdepartmental investigation into the mass grave and says the results will be available within a month. Meanwhile, the Justice Minister is being accused of being aware of conditions in Mother and Baby Homes and failing to act. Adoption Rights Now says Frances Fitzgerald was made aware of a number of issues when she was Minister for Children, but had knowledge of cases since the 1990s.