A Bill allowing for the exhumation of remains from the Tuam Mother and Baby Home site has been signed into law.
The Institutional Burials Bill 2022 was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins today.
This allows for the recovery of human remains from the Tuam Home, and other sites, along with their analysis and proper reburial.
The Bill also contains provisions for the identification of human remains by comparison of DNA samples with potential family members.
The Bill was first brought before the Oireachtas on February 28 of this year. It cleared its final Dáil stage on June 15, and final statements in the Seanad were made last week on July 6.
978 children died at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home during its years of operation up to 1961, at levels far above the normal mortality rate for the time.
The horrific story of what happened at Tuam was brought to public attention by local historian Catherine Corless, and led to a wider look at the history of Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland.
