Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation
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| Established | February 17, 2015 |
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| Legal status | Commission of investigation |
| Purpose | To investigate and report on practices in Irish Mother and Baby Homes |
| Location |
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Chairperson
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Judge Yvonne Murphy |
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Key people
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Dr William Duncan, Professor Mary E. Daly |
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Budget
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€7 million per annum, approximately |
| Website | mbhcoi |
The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation (officially the "Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters") is a judicial commission of investigation, established in 2015 by an order of the Irish government. It was set up in the wake of claims that the bodies of up to 800 babies and children may have been interred in an unmarked mass grave in the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, located in Tuam, County Galway, but its remit covers investigation into records of and practices at an additional 13 Mother and Baby Homes. The Commissioners are Judge Yvonne Murphy (chairperson), Dr William Duncan and Professor Mary E. Daly.
Following widespread news reports in 2014 that the bodies of 796 babies and children may have been interred in an unrecorded mass grave at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway, there were calls both nationally and internationally for an investigation of the site, and for an inquiry into all such Mother and Baby Homes.
On 4 June 2014, the Irish government announced it was bringing together representatives from various government departments to investigate the deaths at the Bon Secours home and to propose how to address the issue. The then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said any government inquiry would not be confined to the home in Tuam and that officials would advise the Government on the best form of inquiry before the end of June 2014.
On 16 July 2014, the government announced that Judge Yvonne Murphy would chair a Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby homes, including Tuam. In October 2014, the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, James Reilly, announced that the draft terms of reference for the inquiry had been circulated to government departments for comment.
On 19 February 2015, Reilly announced that the terms of reference had been agreed at Cabinet for an "independent commission, which has a three-year deadline and which will cost approximately €21 million, following the signing by the Taoiseach of a Government Order at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting".
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