It would be lawfully possible to collect DNA samples from survivors of the Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, according to a new report.
The details of Dr. Geoffrey Shannon’s Report on the Collection of Tuam Survivors’ DNA have been published this afternoon.
It was commissioned last February shortly after calls for the state to begin collecting DNA samples immediately in light of the age and declining health of many survivors.
Dr Geoffrey Shannon says there's no reason, in principle, why an appropriate administrative scheme could not be established.
You can read the full 97 page report here:
PRESS RELEASE: Minister Zappone publishes Dr Geoffrey Shannon’s Report on the Collection of Tuam Survivors’ DNAhttps://t.co/1yyJkGeaUq
— Department of Children and Youth Affairs (@DCYAPress) September 11, 2019
Children's Minister Katherine Zappone says "it is not yet clear whether or not it will be possible to generate DNA profiles from the juvenile human remains that are of such a quality that will result in them being capable of yielding familial matches".
However, Minister Zappone says she does "not believe that this should be a barrier to hope".
