Transfer of records from the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation

On 28 February 2021, with the dissolution of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (‘the Department’) became the data controller for all the personal data contained in the records and databases (including those of the Confidential Committee) that transferred from the Commission. The Commission has now dissolved, in accordance with relevant legislation.

The Department is now responsible for the maintenance and storage of these records. It is also responsible for fulfilling data subject rights, including the right of access to personal data (for example, by former residents of the institutions examined by the Commission).

The Department has submitted its Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) to the Data Protection Commission in respect of the full transfer of the Commission of Investigation material. The Department hopes to publish the relevant sections of the DPIA on its website shortly and to add other material that will be of interest to members of the public.

How to Access Your Personal Data

If you would like to access your personal data which may be held in the records of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, we request that you fill out the Subject Access Request form and email it to the following address: sar@equality.gov.ie as this will help us to process your request more efficiently.

Please be aware that 14 Mother and Baby Homes and 4 County Homes were investigated by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation– a full list of the Homes investigated by the Commission is available here . On the dissolution of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, the records of the Commission were transferred to the Department.

If your request relates to an Institution which is not included on the list of the Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes investigated by the Commission of Investigation, you may wish to forward your subject access request to the organisation which is relevant to your particular situation. Additionally, you may also wish to forward your subject access request to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Further information about Tusla’s Data Protection Unit is available here .

If you have queries or other requests, you can also email this address and we will revert to you as soon as possible.

There is also dedicated telephone information line available for people seeking further information about making a Subject Access Request (SAR). The Department’s SAR Information Line can be contacted on 01-2376001 from Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.