State must consult family members over mother and baby home burials

Government bill covering institutional burials under legal duty to investigate mass graves and protect evidence at the sites

There are suspected mass graves at sites in Tuam and Bessborough, associated with nearby mother and baby homes.

Survivors must be consulted on a new law aimed at providing dignified burials for victims left in mass graves associated with mother and baby homes, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has told the Oireachtas.

The state is under a legal duty to investigate mass burials and to preserve and protect evidence at the sites. IHREC has recommended that any ongoing criminal investigation into the burials should not exclude any mass grave sites ...