The Justice for Magdalenes group said it held a very constructive meeting with officials from the Department of Education this morning and it would now seek a meeting with the Department of Health.
The group is campaigning for a distinct redress scheme for women who were confined in Magdalene laundries.
At the meeting, the group asked that the Minister for Education make public the number of children who were transferred to a Magdalene laundry from a State-regulated institution.
It also sought records for all the women and children referred by the State to the laundries and it urged the State to enter into dialogue with the four religious congregations involved so that records could be made available.
"Access to these records is the crucial next step in understanding this aspect of the nation's history and in establishing an appropriate redress scheme for survivors," spokeswoman Claire McGettrick said.
The group also repeated its request that the State apologise to survivors for its part in the abuse of women in laundries.
In September, Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe said the State did not refer individuals to laundries, nor was it complicit in such referrals, but last week he acknowledged the Department of Justice's confirmation that some women were referred by the courts to the Magdalene laundries.
"Education officials today confirmed that they would now enter discussions with the Departments of Justice and Health and work in an interdepartmental fashion to facilitate the release of any information that is useful," Ms McGettrick said.
She said the officials also confirmed that girls transferred from reformatory schools to laundries were eligible for redress under the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002. "JFM now calls for a distinct Redress Scheme for all survivors of the Magdalene laundries."
In a brief statement issued after the meeting, a Department of Education spokesman said department officials had met representatives of the Justice for Magdalenes group.
"The group made a presentation to the Department officials following which there was discussion of the issues raised and an agreement to continue contact."
