AQO 1179/22-27

Miss Nuala McAllister
Alliance Party
North Belfast

Tabled Date: 14/11/2024
Answered On Date: 28/11/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the review of archived records being carried out as part of the research into Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries.

Answer:

We thank the Member for highlighting this vital piece of work. These records could potentially hold vital information for individuals and their loved ones, that will help piece together this difficult part of our past.

We met the co-chairs of the Truth Recovery Independent Panel, Professors Leanne McCormick and Sean O’Connell, on 4th November, and were pleased to hear of the positive progress made by the Panel and Public Record Office [PRONI] in relation to Institutional records.

During the past year PRONI has preserved and digitised over 3,000 records, and there are agreements in place to digitise further institutional collections. Some records, including cross border, and some adoption files, are more complex to access. However, officials are working with the relevant organisations to secure and improve access to these valuable records.

PRONI is also working with statutory bodies, including the Health Trusts and Courts Service, to identify and gather relevant official records.

PRONI has engaged with the Diocese of Down and Connor and with Belfast City Council in relation to assistance with access to burial records. The Diocese is also currently digitising Milltown Cemetery burial registers to make them available online.

They have also agreed to provide PRONI with the original volumes early in the new year, so that individual burial entries can be cross-referenced with the records of the institutions.