Historian Catherine Corless says religious orders should be forced to pay to help excavate possible mass graves at mother and baby homes.
The government is bringing forward a bill which would allow the remains of children who died at the homes to be exhumed.
Excavations could be carried out at sites such as Tuam, where it's believed almost 800 babies are buried.
Speaking at an Oireachtas Committee, Ms Corless says the Bon Secours nuns, which ran the Tuam home, should pay:
