Government and Opposition Clash Over Bessborough Apartment Planning Permission

Opposition and Government leaders have clashed in the Dáil over An Coimisiún Pleanála's decision to grant planning permission for an apartment development at the former Bessborough Mother and Baby Home site in Cork.

Social Democrats Leader Holly Cairns criticized the decision, calling it a failure and highlighting that 859 children and 19 women remain unaccounted for from the institution. Deputy Cairns questioned the planning body's conclusion that "there is no evidence that there are unrecorded burials" on the development site, pointing to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes report which stated burials on the grounds were highly likely. She questioned whether comprehensive surveys, ground-penetrating radar, or test excavations had been carried out, and called on the Government to use a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to acquire the land, unseal burial archive records, and direct the Attorney General to order an inquest under the Coroner's Act 1962.

In response, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin defended the independence of An Coimisiún Pleanála, stating that the planning body is independent of both the Government and the Oireachtas. He noted that there is no evidence of burials on the specific portion of the land where the housing application was made. The Taoiseach explained that the original Bessborough site has been reduced from 200 acres to 60 acres over time and had been purchased in different lots. He also rejected claims that archives had been sealed to restrict access, stating that previous legislation was introduced to protect and preserve the records, which will eventually be housed in a national archive centre.