Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has appointed a forensic archaeologist to lead a team of experts which will assess the future of the former mother and baby home site in Tuam, Co Galway.

During statements in the Dáil, Ms Zappone said the memory and dignity of the children who lived their short lives in the home needed to be respected.

However, she noted the diversity of views and concerns on what might happen next at the site.

She said if there is consensus regarding the recovery and identification of the remains, an examination was necessary to see how that would be achieved.

Further searches will be carried out at the site, which in a playground adjacent to the site where the remains were discovered last March.

It came after the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation began test excavations at the site of the children's burial ground on the Dublin Road housing estate in Tuam in October 2016.

The commission was established following allegations about the deaths of 800 babies in Tuam over a number of decades and the manner in which they were buried.

It said significant quantities of human remains were discovered in at least 17 of the 20 underground chambers which were examined earlier this year.

Ms Zappone told the Dáil that she was publishing the terms of reference for the lead forensic archaeologist Niamh McCullagh who will lead the work of the team of international experts.

Ms McCullagh led the commission team which located, identified and conducted the preliminary excavations of the buried chambers in Tuam.

Her team will provide an initial report to Ms Zappone by the end of the month, followed by a more detailed analysis by the end of September.

The Minister outlined to the Dáil a number of possible scenarios: returning the site to the way it was before the excavations; carrying out further excavations in the area or taking steps to recover all remains followed by efforts to identify them.

She said any decision would only be taken with regard to all available information being gathered.

She said she expected to receive an initial technical report by the end of June with a more detailed report on options for the future by the end of September.

Ms Zappone also said she was open to considering broader terms of reference into the Mother and Baby Home Commission and would carry out a scoping exercise on this over the summer.

She said she was asking the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo De Greiff, to visit Ireland.

She described this as "a defining moment for us" in dealing with the past.

Those with personal connections to mother and baby homes have been invited by Ms Zappone to join consultations from tomorrow.

The minister told the Dáil that the process of examination into the mother and baby homes will be transparent.

She has appointed an experienced qualified facilitator with international reputation to help in the consultations which will explore services and supports in the area of health and well being.

She said the facilitator will hold meetings in Dublin and other parts of the country, depending on the level of expressions of interest.

Ms Zappone said the views and suggestions and the outcome of the meetings will inform her proposals to Government.

Opposition TDs welcome Zappone's announcement

Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs described Ms Zappone's speech in the Dáil as a "defining moment".

Anne Rabbitte commended the Minister for her understanding of what the people of Tuam feel and what they are looking for, however she said the terms of reference could be broadened.

Sinn Féin's spokesperson for Children and Youth Affairs Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire commended Ms Zappone for today's announcement, however he noted there was no reference to gardaí.

He suggested that An Garda Síochána be part of the process because he said the site in Tuam is the scene of a crime.

Labour's Jan O'Sullivan also commended Ms Zappone for her Dáil speech and welcomed news that she had travelled to Tuam on a number of occasions, which she said was important.

Ms O'Sullivan said any question about what happens next should be put to survivors and relatives of those who have died. She also called for the terms of reference be broadened to other institutions.

Solidarity/People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith also said the terms of reference needed to lean towards an investigation surrounding criminal elements of mother-and-baby homes.

She suggested it be conducted as a criminal trial, she said the Catholic Church had failed to pay its fair share of retribution for all its crimes in the country.

Ms Smith welcomed that the Minister will be taking survivor testimonies however she said they should be given financial, rehabilitative and moral supports they require.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly welcomed much of what Ms Zappone had to say, but expressed disappointment that there was no time frame considering that the Minister received the Commission's report last September.

Independents4Change TD Clare Daly welcomed that the Minister would seek expressions of interests from tomorrow - but echoed calls for a timeline.

She said the issue of redress is "critical".

Responding to statements Ms Zappone said the technical work that will be done in Tuam has not been done at any similar site in the world.

That is why, she said, that she has chosen to gather a team of international experts to examine the site.

She said one reason she will be seeking a report at the end of June, is to feed into the consultation process of families and survivors.

She has said she will seek consensus from her Cabinet colleagues to invite the UN rapporteur on transitional justice and truth.

Ms Zappone said she was not ruling out redress, but she pointed out she is awaiting the final report from the Commission of Investigation.

She did not rule out broadening out the consultation process.

On the time frame she said her aim is to bring proposals to the Government in Autumn however, Ms Zappone said she could not confirm a time frame as the extent of the consultation process is not yet known.