I hope he will understand this one. Let us have a go.

Can we go on with Deputy McDonald, please?

The programme for Government commits to enabling citizens to overcome barriers they face. The Government made numerous commitments to introduce measures to protect women and children from abuse and violence. People will have faith in such commitments in the future only if the State makes good on wrongs of the past. The Tuam Home Survivors Network called today for the collection of DNA samples as a matter of urgency to ensure there is no delay in returning human remains to identifiable relatives for dignified burial. When the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, announced last year that there would be a full forensic examination of the site, the Tuam survivors felt a real wave of relief and hope.

However, as a result of the decision to grant another 12-month extension to the commission of investigation, members of that network state that they have lost faith in the process.

The Deputy's time is up.

Many are elderly and frail and some are in hospice care.

Yes, but the Deputy is still over time.

As they have stated, time is of the essence. Will the Government progress the survivors' reasonable request and ensure that DNA samples are collected without delay?

I assure the House that the fact that we have given the commission an extension of one year to finish its work will not impact on the timeline for the excavations at Tuam. They will happen on the basis of the timeline indicated previously. The Minister and I heard what was asked for by some of the elderly former residents of the mother and baby home in Tuam and will certainly give it consideration. In order to take DNA samples from the remains, we require legislative authority and that will require the passing of legislation in this House. While that does not apply to adults voluntarily providing DNA samples, we need to make sure that we have the science right. We do not want to take samples from people and then find out that they cannot be used later on. There is a scientific issue around laboratories and so on but on the face of it, the request appears to be a reasonable one. People are getting on in years and are afraid that they will pass on before this is done. We understand the request and are sympathetic to it but we need to make sure that it is doable and that we do not end up taking samples that cannot be used.