Up to 30,000 mothers and children are being excluded from the Commission of Inquiry into Mother and Baby homes, according to a group of survivors.

The Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors lodged a formal complaint at the offices of the inquiry in Dublin this afternoon, calling for the terms of reference to be widened to include all homes.

The Commission has been investigating issues around forced and illegal adoptions at mother and baby homes since February last year, at 14 named institutions and a representative sample of county homes.

Independent Councillor Frances Timmons grew up in a mother and baby home in Blackrock in Dublin that is not included in the inquiry.

As today’s protest, he said he felt his experiences were being ignored.

He said: “It’s disappointing. It’s exactly what nuns and priests did years ago – they excluded us from different things and it’s the same today. We’re being excluded (again) and it’s created divisions with in the community.

“But we’re out to support each other today. It’s about a state apology for everybody.”