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Government to investigate leaking of details of Mother and Baby Homes report

The State’s most senior civil servant is to head up an inquiry into the leaking of Government information.

CABINET AGREED TODAY that the Secretary General in the Department of An Taoiseach Martin Fraser will be asked to examine leaking of details from the long-awaited final report on the Mother and Baby Homes.

Fraser will also been asked to examine the broader issue of unauthorised dissemination of documentation and other information related to the work of Cabinet sub-committees and the Cabinet, according to a government spokesperson.

The Sunday Independent reported details about 9,000 children dying in the 18 institutions investigated.

The newspaper, which directly quoted the Taoiseach in the article on the report, also revealed that Micheál Martin would be apologising on behalf of the State and “wider society” to the Dáil on Wednesday.

The Taoiseach was directly asked today whether his department leaked elements of the report.

“No, it didn’t,” he replied.

He was also asked why he didn’t flag with other government colleagues and survivors that details of the report would be published over the weekend by a newspaper.

Martin said he was asked about a State apology, adding that he was commenting on that issue. He said he told Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman that he had given quotes to the newspaper on the planned State apology.

“I don’t think the report itself was leaked, elements of the report certainly were in the article, subsequently. But certainly I wasn’t aware that the report itself had been leaked,” said the Taoiseach. 

O’Gorman said as the Taoiseacch is the person making the State apology “it was appropriate for him to clarify that fact”.

“I wrote to survivors and I expressed my anger as to why this happened. And I made it clear that I wanted an investigation to take place,” he said today.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said this week that it was “very disrespectful” that details from the report were leaked prior to the publication of the report.

Speaking to Today FM, Varadkar said he “absolutely” supports an investigation into who leaked the information.

“There are people who are survivors of mother and baby homes, they’re waiting five years for for this for this report, and I think it was very disrespectful the fact that elements of it were leaked and appeared in a Sunday paper.”

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    Mute Raymond Kelly
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:13 PM

    Leo done it!!!!

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    Mute Cosmos20202020
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:14 PM

    @Raymond Kelly: did

    59
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    Mute Gary Mullen
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    Jan 12th 2021, 8:04 PM

    @Cosmos20202020: he did

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    Mute pabloeskabab
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    Jan 12th 2021, 11:25 PM

    @Raymond Kelly: Leo? Oh well that’s ok so. The man was only helping people get the info quicker.

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    Mute Gary Mullen
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:20 PM

    What about the documents Leo leaked? Or do we just sweep that under the carpet like golf gate, judge wolfe and everything else this government have done that is illegal or wrong?

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    Mute Jo Grant Fahey
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:31 PM

    @Gary Mullen: FG pp unanimously agreed to readmitted 3 senators who lost the party whip over golf gate. Decision to do this was made the same time the report into the Mothers and baby homes was published.
    Way to cover up things you don’t want people to know.

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    Mute offtheball
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:45 PM

    @Jo Grant Fahey: but you do know????

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    Mute Gary Mullen
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    Jan 12th 2021, 8:17 PM

    @Jo Grant Fahey: exactly my point, in hope that people would not pick up on it. Unfortunately there are a lot of st u pid people in this country that will vote for ff and fg again in the next election as they always do, then they give out about them then vote them back in again.

    29
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    Mute Simon Carroll
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    Jan 13th 2021, 5:04 AM

    @Gary Mullen: Ah yeh but the have the fantastic reason to keep voting for FF and FG because “What’s the alternative” or SF will ruin the country (like anyone could do worse, particularly over the last 3 decades). There’s also the classics – “Venezuela, Socialist, North Korea” arguments. Maybe if we had national politicians that worked with national interests in mind rather than it all being parish pump ‘lying I’d what you do at an election’, pub owning, landlord, teachers that work towards their own self interests things might be better. Unfortunately the majority are either too lazy to find out what candidates actually stand for or they just have a habit of voting for whomever their parents voted for. Which means that things will never change or improve.

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    Mute reginald
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:16 PM

    An investigation into an investigation,how many quangos have this government got

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    Mute Arch Angel
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    Jan 12th 2021, 8:10 PM

    @reginald: Probably. They’ll deflect from the report itself and waste time and resources looking for a leaker, who clearly didn’t bother Leo when he was doing it, rather than put them to good use protecting children.

    53
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    Mute John Farrant
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:17 PM

    So if it wasn’t leaked, we wouldn’t know the full report. ???
    I find that more disturbing, drip feeding us information as they see fit.

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    Mute Dennison's Waterford
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:21 PM

    This leak was done from within to lessen the impact of non responsibility of the state, as was shown in the cop out report, I pity the families of the Mother and baby homes, #stateandchurch

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:20 PM

    I’m all for freedom of press but isn’t it time that publications like The Sunday Indo displayed a clearer understanding of what the public interest is? They have no shame and this proves it. Any human being worth their salt would have dropped this story. Where there’s a market, there will always be a supplier.

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    Mute Fintan O'Halloran
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    Jan 12th 2021, 9:38 PM

    @Vonvonic: I agree totally. It’s one thing to have the moral compass to release a report to the press, it’s another moral compass to publish such findings. Both are culpable

    19
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    Mute Cookie
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    Jan 12th 2021, 9:40 PM

    Leo Varadkar is clearly the prime suspect for the leak because of his past record.

    Jody Corcoran and Alan English of the Sunday Independent are lacking in all human decency.

    The focus now must be for the Criminal Assets Bureau to seize church property so that compensation can be paid to victims.

    31
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    Mute Raymond Kelly
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:14 PM

    The government have more leaks than a second hand tea bag, no shame

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    Mute Gordon Larney
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:40 PM

    Why even bother investigating? Nothing will come of the “investigation” because It was a deliberate political tactic to get bad news out in stages in an attempt to ease the shock of what is a truly shocking report.

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    Mute Davey Ohanlon
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:37 PM

    So the Government is appointing a member of government to investigate the government in regards to leaks.

    65
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    Mute Limited Edition
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:26 PM

    What’s the point? The journal won’t follow up and everything will be hushed out of existence. Such a waste of binary digits.

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    Mute Jack Cass
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:43 PM

    If the Green’s had any morals, they would walk from Government unless the leak is immediately identified. The only thing wrong with this scenario is that it may have being a Green Party member who leaked it, hence their silence.

    46
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    Mute Jimmy Mac
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:25 PM

    Look Irish governments have hidden , abuse in care homes, industrial schools , and have still not properly taken the church to task, so they are worried about someone leaking the Truth, do they still not think the country has the right to know the dirty past they wish to hide.

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    Mute Bri
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:21 PM

    More concerned with the cover up been blown with this leak then anything else another

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    Mute Divad Nayr
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:16 PM

    Try Opus Dei member first, their job to protect the church.

    36
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    Mute ▪️
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:19 PM

    @Divad Nayr: How… would leaking it protect the Church?

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jan 12th 2021, 8:17 PM

    Would Leo the leak be in contention? Wonder why on the day of the report concerning the Mother and baby home’s the likes of Jerry Buttimer and others who lost the party whip were reappointed today. Leo certainly did not leak that one.

    36
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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:35 PM

    Investigation?
    The Indo has a mole inside the coalition.
    Dissolve it & elect a unified Gov’t.
    If you asked this crew to agree objectives & start the process, they couldnt agree where to start.
    They are jockeying for supremacy 24/7.

    36
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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:57 PM

    @William Kelly: As for the state response to the report, Meehall would naturally spread the mea culpas across society.Culture of society of the day etc.Very unfortunate & regrettable, etc.
    But will they withdraw the sanctifaction & glorification of THEIR eminences & THEIR glorified leaders, & expose them to a purge of false history.
    Y’know, those that spoke about comely maidens dancing at the crossroads, & those that destroyed Noel Brownes Mother & Child social care policy?
    This is the professed agnostic, who saw through the hypocracy of Church & State, but tried to convince them of the need to tackle infant & maternal mortaltiy, in vain,& who wondered what the robed & pampered Princes of the RC church had in common with the humble Nazarene they professed to follow.
    Will they be exposed?

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    Mute Hup Abù
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:51 PM

    Let’s hope this doesn’t deflect from the report and it’s findings… oh wait

    34
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    Mute Pete Lee
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:40 PM

    Yea thats right the leak is the issue…
    Not the systemic abuse
    Luckily the church have paid what they owe for the abuse…

    32
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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Jan 12th 2021, 8:02 PM

    Could they investigate the making of the report?

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    Mute Seanboy
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    Jan 12th 2021, 9:38 PM

    All leaks should be investigated in the same manner the person/persons responsible for the leaks are untrustworthy and should be removed from the position that gives them access to the material leaked. See ya Leo

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    Mute feargal ‘2 metres’ de cantuin
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    Jan 12th 2021, 7:41 PM

    Clouseau like

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    Mute Dave
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    Jan 12th 2021, 8:46 PM

    So basically they had no intention of releasing the report (Political decision) but instead of now doing what is right and acting upon it, they are looking for a scape goat……

    I can tell ya one thing the next time these may feiners come knocking at my door looking for votes, it wont be slammed in their face, i will politely remind them of the gombeenism that took place this year and how utterly useless they have been…

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    Mute Ben
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    Jan 12th 2021, 9:44 PM

    Good man Rod! Try control the narrative. Focus the outrage elsewhere. It was released 2 days earlier FFS! The country’s drowning in COVID, 400,000 unemployed and the news of 9000 deaths as a result of state sanctioned neglect. But sure yeah…. look into the article in the indo.. yer Some man Rod.

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    Mute Ashling Fenton
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    Jan 12th 2021, 9:38 PM

    If the truth hadn’t been leaked no-one would have to take responsibility.

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    Mute Aidan Conway
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    Jan 12th 2021, 10:49 PM

    Why not investigate the criminsl offences against tge victims… Proper pricess for the dead
    Identification… And re ords release.
    This is all a distraction!

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    Mute Mary Nugent
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    Jan 12th 2021, 10:38 PM

    Name in public

    4
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