National inquiries are sometimes necessary to get to the bottom of wrongdoing. As well as being painfully slow, they can be cold processes as they plough through mountains of documentation and testimonies. The original Tuam babies inquiry was meant to last three years. Then it was four. Now we understand it will take five years to complete. Those affected by the scandal are frustrated beyond words. Many of them are elderly, while some have died. They want closure in order that there can be some resolution in this aspect of their lives.

As the Taoiseach knows, for nearly 40 years, the home, as it was called, was involved in illegal adoptions of children to America, as well as in the illegal burial of hundreds of children who had died in the home and been interred in a mass grave without proper funerals. They are the stark facts. We need an inquiry to identify what exactly was the role of the Bon Secours sisters and the extent to which State agencies were involved.

The arts are another way of providing us with a mechanism to understand and, more importantly, feel the emotional impact and trauma of the Tuam mother and baby home. In Dublin last week I attended the Stay With Me exhibition at the Inspire Galerie. The exhibition was of artwork created by people who had been moved by the Tuam babies story. Words cannot convey the depth and strength of feeling involved in the artworks. They give us a glimpse of how those centrally affected must feel. The aim of the exhibition is not to cause horror or revulsion but to show love to help people to come to terms with the terrible losses they endured.

I understand the inquiry needs to proceed to a fifth year. The Department of Health has apparently produced a new batch of documentation which needs to be examined. Why was it not forthcoming when all of agencies involved were asked to produce everything they had? The continued inquiry may be necessary, but that does not mean that those affected should have to wait another year for some resolution. Do we not have enough evidence to show that there was wrongdoing? Will the Government agree to provide redress for those affected, many of whom are elderly and deserve our compassion and a resolution to ease their pain as far as we can provide for this? If we do not act now, for some it will be too late. It is already too late for those survivors who have passed away in the four years since the inquiry began.

I thank the Deputy for observing the time allotted.

I always do.

The Deputy has been in this seat before.

The Government has granted a request made by the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes to extend the timeframe for the delivery of its reports by one year. The commission is now due to submit its final report by 2020. I note that the Deputy has acknowledged that we have to allow the commission which is independent to do its work. At the same time, we need to acknowledge and understand the enormous frustration felt by former residents of mother and baby homes who will have to wait longer than anticipated to get some answers to some of their questions.

The commission, not having completed its work, is obviously not able at this stage to make findings of fact or wrongdoing. For example, while it has met 519 former residents, 26 have yet to have their stories heard. It is important that they be heard. New material has been received, consisting of more than 100,000 pages of documents, which needs to be considered. While there is still much work to be done by the commission, it has assured the Minister that it can do it by February next year within its existing budget. There will, however, be a comprehensive report on 15 March which is only a few weeks away on burials at the site. I hope it will, at least, give us some answers. The Minister who has been involved with the consultative group is examining ways by which we may be able to give former residents of mother and baby homes some health and well-being supports in the interim while we await the final three reports of the commission next year. It will be brought to the Government once it is ready.

How is it that this new volume of documents has suddenly come to light four years into the inquiry and has now been submitted by the Department of Health? Has the Taoiseach asked why that would be? Everybody was asked to provide every document from the beginning. This is not the first inquiry where this tardiness, to put it at its kindest, has come to light. I ask the Taoiseach not to wait but to formally apologise, on behalf of the State and all of us, to those who suffered in those mother and baby homes. He should do it this week. The Government should provide redress now of the kind the Taoiseach has said is being examined before it is too late for elderly people. I met some of the affected people at that art exhibition and it would move a person to tears to listen to their anguish and the desperate frustration arising from this issue going on and on. Are other graves being examined or is Tuam one awful and unique situation?

I do not need to wait for the report to be published next year to offer my sorrow and regret, and that of the Government, for all that happened to women in mother and baby homes and the children born in them. Many of them had very negative experiences and the Government, this Parliament and the State are very sorry for all of that.

Does that include the Bethany Home?

I know my predecessor as Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, has made a similar statement. However, we must allow the commission of investigation to do its work properly, study all the documents, have the hearings and make findings of fact. That is the point of setting up these commissions.

Why the tardiness in getting this done?

We set them up to allow them to do their work. The Minister, Deputy Zappone, with the support of the Government, is examining means by which we may be able to provide some help and well-being supports to former residents while they and we await the final report.

With regard to burial sites, we expect a comprehensive report by the middle of March 2019. The sites being examined are Tuam, Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea and, I think, Bessborough as well.

Are those they only sites? Are there others?

There are many more.