Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses in Northern Ireland. Truth, Acknowledgement and Accountability

The Panel was required by the Project Brief ‘to establish the Terms of Reference of the investigation’. Central to the Panel’s recommendations is the proposal for an integrated investigation by an Independent Panel and statutory Public Inquiry. The Panel’s recommendations also include supporting measures that, in the view of victims-survivors and the Panel, are essential for the success of the forthcoming investigation.

Victims-survivors are clear in prioritising access to information, both personal and regarding the institutions’ operation, and to redress and reparation. These measures are vital to enabling their full participation in the investigation. Full recognition of victims-survivors’ rights is necessary to ensure that the investigation does not waver from meeting the range of their justice needs.

The Panel recommends the following supporting measures, each of which requires urgent implementation:

· Measures to ensure access to records: a statutory preservation requirement; data protection law implementation guidance; and legislation to establish a permanent, dedicated, independent truth-telling archive; and

· Measures to secure redress, reparation and compensation, including: automatic redress payments; assistance to access the courts, criminal investigations and inquests; health and well-being services; support for researching personal and family history; restoration of citizenship; and memorialisation and apologies