AQW 39194/22-27

Miss Nuala McAllister
Alliance Party
North Belfast

Tabled Date: 27/01/2026
Answered On Date: 11/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail any engagement they have had with the Diocese of Down and Connor regarding the safe keeping of records in line with legislation, particularly in regards to future access for any inquiry or research into Mother and Baby Homes, in the last 12 months.

Answer:

The Executive Office appointed PRONI to survey, catalogue, digitise and preserve institutional records. To date, over 5,500 items amounting to more than 50,000 digitised pages, have been processed. This includes material provided by the Diocese of Down and Connor, includes records relating to Milltown Cemetery registers.

PRONI has also worked closely with the non‑statutory Truth Recovery Independent Panel, appointed by The Executive Office in April 2023. The Panel is expected to report in the coming months.

All the records and research will support the statutory Public Inquiry scheduled to begin in 2026. More broadly, the Preservation of Documents (Historical Institutions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 sets out the responsibilities of record holders.

These steps represent significant progress in preserving vital records and enabling individuals, and society more widely, to better understand our recent past.