Residential Institutions
Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that has been made to organise meetings for groups of survivors of residential institutional abuse.
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton): Following a meeting with survivors, I expressed a willingness to have a series of consultation meetings around the country, led by and for survivors of institutional abuse. The purpose of these meetings will be to enable survivors to reflect on their experiences, the State’s response to the issue of institutional abuse and to make any recommendations they wish to make. The detail of how this can happen is being worked out and Department officials are in contact with survivors.
Residential Institutions Redress Scheme
Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the efforts that will be made to include those persons who were detained in the Magdalen laundries or mother and baby homes and who are dissatisfied with the redress scheme; if the proposed meeting will be confined to those who contacted the Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Charles Flanagan): To date 691 applicants have received redress amounting to €25.9m in lump sums under the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex-gratia Scheme. In addition, qualifying applicants receive additional benefits under the Scheme which include an enhanced medical card from the HSE and ‘top up’ pension payments from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
I recently informed the House that I had carefully considered the Ombudsman’s November 2017 report on the administration of the scheme by my Department and that I had held constructive discussions with him on my plans to implement the recommendations in his report. I have also briefed my Cabinet colleagues on these plans.
In relation to the four recommendations in the Ombudsman’s report, the following is the position:
– Where there is a dispute in respect of length of stay in a Magdalen Institution, Ms. Mary O’Toole S.C. has been appointed to review these cases.
– Ms O’Toole S.C. will also advise on assistance to be given to applicants who lack capacity to accept an award.
– The reviews recommended by the Ombudsman in regard to eligibility of cases of women who worked in one of the institutions covered by the Scheme but who were officially recorded as having been “admitted to” a training centre or industrial school located in the same building, attached to or located on the grounds of one of the laundries will be taken forward following a brief scoping review by an interdepartmental group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach.
– The recommendation to establish guidance on the development and operation of redress schemes will be examined in consultation with Government colleagues, including the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has responsibility for the on-going Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. The Third Interim Report of that Commission was published on 5 December 2017 with its final reports due to be completed by February 2019.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to outline the status of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes; if she is satisfied with its progress; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Deputy Anne Rabbitte: Will the Minister outline the status of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes? Is she satisfied with its progress? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?
Deputy Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for her question. I know she is interested in and supportive of the work of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.
I am keen to provide a status update on the commission. It is important to reiterate that the commission is an independent statutory investigation. It was established by the Oireachtas in 2015 to examine the experiences of vulnerable women and children in mother and baby homes during the period 1922 to 1998. It is due to report in February next year. This work is a vital step on the path we have commenced down to establish the facts and what happened in and around these homes as well as to give true meaning to the values that define us as a people and a country.
The commission continues to make progress under the leadership of Judge Yvonne Murphy, Dr. William Duncan and Professor Mary Daly. It has prepared three interim reports to date, in July 2016, September 2016 and September 2018, and I have published all three reports.
As we know, the commission also confirmed the tragic discovery of juvenile remains interred on the site of the former home in Tuam. I am continuing to work with Galway County Council and relevant Departments to ensure appropriate decisions are taken regarding the future of the site.
I know all Members are agreed on our collective desire to respect the dignity and memory of the children who lost their lives. The experts have advised us on what is possible. A public consultation on these options has recently concluded and I expect to bring proposals to Government in the near future.
The commission is now more than three years into its programme of work. At its request, I extended its timeline for reporting to February 2019. I appreciate that many former residents were frustrated by the necessity for the 12-month extension of time even though they recognise the complexity and breadth of the task.
There are simply no shortcuts to truth and accountability. I am satisfied the commission will effectively use the additional time to listen to the personal experiences of many more former residents and ensure crucial questions can be fully addressed.
Deputy Anne Rabbitte: We as a party were very supportive when the Minister set up the independent commission of investigation and when she sought the various time extensions for it to report. As she said, one of its findings was the site in Tuam and the number of remains found there. It is a very complex issue. It is important also that the Minister acknowledged that the persons who were part of the mother and baby homes are very frustrated at this stage. They are looking for answers and for direction. What are the Minister’s intentions regarding the treatment of the remains found at Tuam, or has she got any indications from the independent expert review group as to what their findings are or what are they indicating to her? The commission is three years into its programme of work and the people who were part of the mother and baby homes in Tuam are looking for some hope and assurance that the issue is being addressed. While they believe they have the Minister’s ear, and I have said that at all times, they want to hear what is coming back from the experts.
Deputy Katherine Zappone: There are two ways to respond to that. More generally, in terms of the mother and baby homes and the time that work is taking, I have described – as I am aware the Deputy has also – great empathy for the waiting that the people are experiencing. In that context. I believe the Deputy is aware that I have taken a number of other actions to engage with the primary stakeholders and particularly, most recently, moving towards the establishment of a collaborative forum of 20 representatives, stakeholders, who will come together and take a look at key issues that they are concerned about and make recommendations to me while we await the report of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes due in February of next year.
Second, regarding Tuam, as the Deputy will be aware, the consultation process has concluded. The results of that are being discussed by an interdepartmental working group this week. In addition to that, the special rapporteur, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, provided me recently with a report on the human rights implications in terms of the issues particularly for families regarding what happened in Tuam. I believe the Deputy and other Members are aware – it was in the public domain – of a questioning of some of the conclusions of the expert group that I put together in order to offer options to the people to consider in their consultation in terms of technologies that can be used for determining DNA identification. I then asked my expert group to take a look at the submission presented to Galway County Council in terms of the consultation process by other experts in the field and they have come back to me recently with their views on that matter as well. A number of items are coming into me and I hope, as quickly as I can, to go to Government with recommendations on the basis of that work. As I said, an interdepartmental working group is meeting this week in order to examine those issues.
Deputy Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Minister for her answer. She has outlined the complexity of what is involved and the various groupings with which she has to liaise. I and the people involved are very interested in the human rights aspect of this and the scope of the work that the special rapporteur on child protection has done on that. They would also be very interested to hear exactly how the engagement with Galway County Council is progressing. I have discussed with the Minister in the past that those involved believed there were various roadblocks along the way. They would be interested to hear about the human rights aspect of this and how the role of the coroner and that of Galway County Council in this work is progressing. Those are the obstacles that they as a grouping have found difficult. They look to the Minister to relay what are her findings. It would be helpful if she could indicate a timeframe for this. Does she plan to have this at Cabinet before we break at the end of the summer session?
Deputy Katherine Zappone: Regarding the Deputy’s last question, that is absolutely and certainly my intention and I am pushing matters as quickly as I can.
With respect to the work of Galway County Council and the consultation it conducted using a variety of methodologies, I am aware there were criticisms about that as well, but it utilised a number of methodologies in order to get back from the people, as best it could, what different stakeholders felt regarding the options presented by the expert group. That report has only come to me recently and as I indicated that has gone to my interdepartmental working group. They are meeting this week on that.
The Deputy asked questions regarding the report that Dr. Shannon has submitted to us. It was mentioned in the expert working group’s report that they said they could not cover some of the human rights implications regarding the right to a proper burial, the right of families to have the identity of the remains and all those different issues that Dr. Shannon has considered in a very technical manner in terms of international law or EU law etc. and we are considering that now. With all those different items coming in, including the final report from Galway County Council, I am trying to push and move this as quickly as possible. I am aware of the concerns with respect to the stakeholders getting that as soon as possible.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if survivors of a home (details supplied) will be facilitated in gaining access to redress in advance of the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.
Deputy Denise Mitchell: Will survivors of the Bethany Home be facilitated in gaining access to redress ahead of the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes?
Deputy Katherine Zappone: Bethany Home is one of the institutions included within the terms of reference of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. This particular institution was one of the first identified for inclusion when the scope of the investigation was being decided. Decisions on the issues to be investigated by the commission were informed by the serious concerns about the care and welfare of children in the institution.
As I have outlined in response to an earlier question, the final reports of the commission are expected within the next ten months. It is important to note the independent commission of investigation has to date made no findings about abuse or neglect in any of the homes within its terms of reference. In these circumstances, it is not possible for the Government to put in place a redress scheme for matters within the scope of this investigation prior to the commission submitting its findings and conclusions.
In the interim, the Government has agreed to consider the health and well-being needs of former residents. The establishment of a collaborative forum is a progressive approach to assist former residents to prioritise areas of concern for them and their families.
Given the issue of mother and baby homes has not been central to any previous inquiry, the commission must be given the opportunity to advance its investigation and to establish the facts of what happened in and around these institutions.
When the Ryan report was published in 2009 there were a number of calls for the residential institutions redress scheme to be extended to include additional institutions, including the Bethany Home. The then Government decided not to extend the scheme and it has been closed to new applicants since 2011. This decision has been reviewed on a number of occasions by previous Governments and most recently following the publication of the commission of investigation’s second interim report last year. The Government again concluded it was not possible to reopen the scheme.
The challenges for Government in considering such matters at an interim stage of a commission’s work were further highlighted in the special report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the residential institutions redress scheme.
As I previously indicated, when the final reports of the commission are available, the Government will listen to and respond to the full account of the commission’s conclusions and the matters regarding the treatment of former residents.
Deputy Denise Mitchell: I cannot understand the attitude of the State to this small group of survivors. There are fewer than ten survivors. They are getting on in years and they fear the State is using this as a stall and hoping they will pass away. The second interim report by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes clearly stated its view that the survivors of the Bethany Home had a strong case for redress and that both the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Health should re-examine the decision to deny the Bethany Home survivors redress. We recently saw the decision to reverse access to redress for Magdalen laundry survivors. Why can it not be done for the Bethany Home survivors? I will say it straight to the Minister. These ten survivors will be very disappointed; they will feel let down. Will the Minister be the one who puts it right?
Deputy Katherine Zappone: I have a deep understanding of how upset and disappointed the survivors, especially of the Bethany Home institution, feel. I understand what the Deputy has described. I am aware of it and fully aware of what the commission of investigation stated in its second interim report and brought those arguments to the Government. That is why we took a long time to deliberate on the report, with a detailed analysis by officials of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and other Departments of the rationale for some of the commission’s statements. The consensus from a series of discussions which involved the Attorney General, the Ministers for Children and Youth Affairs, Public Expenditure and Reform and Education and Skills was that there would be insurmountable difficulties in reopening the redress scheme or scoping an alternative scheme, whether statutory or non-statutory. One of the primary reasons for this is that to date the commission has made no finding about abuse or neglect in the homes. That makes it extremely difficult for the Government to decide to offer redress. As a bridge to the final report, having understood and empathised with the concerns, particularly those expressed by the Bethany Home institution, I encouraged and achieved consensus with other Ministers that the Government could begin discussions with the former residents to examine meaningful targeted supports, particularly health and well-being supports, that could be provided for them prior to receiving the final reports of the commission and the Government’s decisions which would follow them.
Deputy Denise Mitchell: I do not doubt that the Minister feels for the survivors, but they have been listening to that response for decades. Other Deputies and I believe that is not right as it is denying the survivors justice and redress. Why has the commission not made a finding? Is there something deliberate going on? The Minister has met the survivors; she knows them and knows that they have been campaigning tirelessly for decades.
Deputy Katherine Zappone: The commission is independent. I have had meetings and conversations with it and it has insisted that it needs more time to speak to and hear from the people involved. Many more have come forward than initially anticipated. It needs time to consider their histories and conduct investigations before it can state what are the facts and its findings. All I can say is the commission has stated there is more work to be done and that it requires time. We have acceded to its request.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has spoken to the Minister for Health about delays in access to mental health and well-being supports for survivors who have engaged with the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Deputy Katherine Zappone: I am deeply conscious that giving testimony to a commission and revisiting difficult personal experiences will be distressing for many former residents. I know that some people may need to access various supports around this time. I also acknowledge that the Deputy has raised this issue recently and thank her for highlighting this important matter.
I have previously advised that any person affected by experiences connected to mother and baby homes may wish to contact the Health Service Executive, HSE, national counselling service which provides free professional, confidential counselling and psychotherapy services in all regions of the country. I have ensured relevant HSE contact details are available on the website of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
With regard to the commission of investigation, it is important to recognise that the statutory commission is independent in the conduct of its investigations. I am aware that it does ask former residents attending as witnesses if they have access to supports and whether they would like information on available services. I understand that, if they so wish, this information is provided. The individual arrangements with witnesses are, of course, a matter for the commission and I have no role in that regard.
If the Deputy wishes to provide me with details of any specific case, I will be happy to raise them with the Minister for Health. Officials of my Department have been engaging with counterparts in the Department of Health on the issue of health and well-being supports. This is in the context of the establishment of the collaborative forum which I am in the process of setting up.
As the Deputy may be aware, I have embraced the concept of “nothing about us without us” which has emerged from my engagements to date with former residents. Former residents, rightly, want and deserve an input into the decisions which affect them and their families.
Health and well-being supports are one of the priority areas to be considered in the collaborative forum process. Participants in the forum will identify and prioritise actions and recommendations on issues of concern to them and their families. I have asked them to examine in particular the matter of health and well-being supports as a priority and come back to me with recommendations.
Deputy Denise Mitchell: The Minister and we all know that the women are reliving traumatic events when they appear before the commission of investigation and should not be left for over a year before they gain access to counselling. Will the Minister discuss this with the HSE and the Minister for Health to reassure anyone who wants to gain access to a counselling service that she will not have to wait for one year or more?
Deputy Katherine Zappone: If the Deputy has a specific cases she wants to bring to my attention, I will be happy to bring it to the Minister for Health, specifically as I understand the women may require counselling as a result of engaging with the commission and offering their testimony. Health and well-being supports are under discussion and consideration for those who were resident in the institutions and would like to access such supports. This issue was discussed in the initial consultations, as well as in the consultations on what would be considered at the collaborative forum. I certainly want us to be able to offer these supports. Officials in the Departments have asked if that is the case and whether we want to decide on how they will be provided in a way that is most accessible to the women and in a manner that they will be able to access them when they need them.
Deputy Denise Mitchell: I will forward some names to the Minister. Many women have been attending counselling services during the years at a cost to themselves. When they make their initial appointment, they find they must move from that counsellor. Many women who have developed a relationship with the counsellor they have attended for years have to move to a different one. Can some mechanism be put in place to ensure survivors will be able to stay with the counsellor they already have?
Deputy Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for raising that very specific practical issue. I know from personal experience that it is very important. That kind of issue has been and will continue to be considered in the context of how we can offer these supports once we have discussed the matter and decided we can do it. The practical issues take time to sort out but they are important in order that all of the women about whom we are speaking can have access in a timely manner and in a way that would be most useful to them.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the expenditure by her Department on the Tuam mother and baby home inquiry, in particular, for advertising, the appointment of consultants, collaborative forum and or other ancillary matters excluding the commission set up in accordance with the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Katherine Zappone): The costs incurred to date by my Department in relation to the specific categories of expenditure identified by the Deputy are collated in the following table.
The expenditure on consultancy relates to the costs incurred by the expert technical group in providing advices on the options for the future of the Tuam site.
The Collaborative Forum is in the process of being established so the costs incurred to date relate to the initial work of the selection panel.
These figures do not include expenditure incurred directly by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation in the course of its independent investigations.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if children born in Mother and Baby Homes will be eligible for redress to address the psychological impact of having been separated from their birth mother; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Katherine Zappone): The question of redress for former residents of Mother and Baby Homes is one which I have addressed on a number of occasions and I am happy to restate the Government’s position for the Deputy.
Mother and Baby Homes have not been central to any previous statutory inquiry so this Commission must be given the opportunity to advance its investigation and to establish the facts of what happened in and around these institutions.
The independent Commission of Investigation has made no findings to date about abuse or neglect in any of the homes within its terms of reference. In these circumstances, it is not possible for Government to put in place a redress scheme in relation to the broad range of matters within the scope of this investigation prior to the Commission submitting its findings and conclusions.
The challenges for Government in considering such matters at an interim stage of a Commission’s work were further highlighted in the Special Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme.
As I have indicated previously, when the final reports of the Commission are available, the Government will listen and respond to the full account of the Commission’s conclusions on this and all matters regarding the treatment of former residents.
In the interim, the Government has agreed to consider supports to meet the health and well-being needs of former residents. The establishment of a Collaborative Forum is a progressive approach to assist former residents to prioritise areas of concern for them and their families. A public information campaign is to commence this week seeking expressions of interest in being appointed to the Forum.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the progression of the transitional justice for survivors of Mother and Baby Homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Katherine Zappone): I am committed to working with my colleagues in Government, and in collaboration with former residents, to take appropriate actions to address the issues which have already emerged from the work of the Commission. I believe that this is the best way forward in our response to what are hugely complex and sensitive matters. The principles of transitional justice inform my approach to these measures.
In this regard the Deputy may be aware that I am currently in the process of establishing a Collaborative Forum for former residents. It is a progressive response to the theme of “nothing about us without us” which emerged from the facilitated consultations I held with former residents last year. A number of priority areas have been identified from our consultations to date. The Forum will incorporate three sub-committees that will examine a range of areas, including key transitional justice measures such as memorialisation and the capture of personal narratives. I have appointed an independent Selection Panel to select representative members from those persons who express an interest in participating in this process. An information campaign on how to apply to become a member of the Forum will commence in the coming days.
I believe that open and consistent communication with former residents and other stakeholders on the matters of concern to them is essential while the Commission continues with the work it was established to do. In this regard, my Department has continued to post a an e-zine update on the Mother and Babies Homes section of my Department’s website on the first Friday of every month. In this way we can ensure that everyone has access to the same information at the same time.
I also secured Government approval for an invitation to be extended to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence to visit Ireland. I am pleased to confirm that this invitation has issued. The Special Rapporteur will have many demands on his time but I hope that he may be in a position to provide a favourable response to this invitation. A visit from the UN Special Rapporteur would provide a vital insight into the relationship between international human rights standards and the everyday lives of Ireland’s citizens.
In relation to the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, following the publication of the Report of the Expert Technical Group, public consultations were held in March so that all interested parties could have an opportunity to voice their opinions on these sensitive matters. The facilitator’s report is now available to inform the deliberations of the inter-departmental committee coordinating the State’s response to this matter. The committee is meeting tomorrow with a view to making recommendations to me on these sensitive matters. I will then be in a position to bring proposals to Government for a decision on the future of the site.
My Department continues to post a monthly e-zine update on the Mother and Babies Homes section of my Department’s website on the first Friday of every month. In this way everyone has access to the same information at the same time.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the invitation to Mr. Pablo De Greiff, UN Special Rapporteur, was extended to provide international human rights oversight of the Government’s response to issues regarding the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an invitation has been issued to a person (details supplied) to visit Ireland to assist in issues related to former Mother and Baby Homes; if so, when he is expected to arrive; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Katherine Zappone): I propose to take Questions Nos. 383 and 385 together.
Notwithstanding Ireland’s standing invitation to all United Nations thematic special procedures holders, I received Government approval for a specific invitation to be extended to the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence to visit Ireland in the context of our response to the issue of mother and baby homes and related matters.
The Deputy may be aware that Mr. Fabian Salvioli has recently replaced Mr. Pablo de Grieff in that position, and the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a formal invitation on behalf of the Irish Government to Mr. Fabian Salvioli on the 18 April. I understand that the Special Rapporteur will have many demands on his time but I hope that he may be in a position to provide a favourable response to this invitation.
The Government believes that the expertise and experience of Mr. Fabian Salvioli can provide valuable assistance in our response to the issues relating to mother and baby homes. A visit from the UN Special Rapporteur could also provide vital insight into the relationship between international human rights standards and the everyday lives of Ireland’s citizens.
Separately, the Deputy may also wish to note that I will be meeting with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children in the course of her upcoming visit to Ireland from 14th to 21st of May.
I have a keen interest and focus on the mandate of the Rapporteur which covers a broad scope of children’s issues. These include the sexual exploitation of children online; sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism; child prostitution, child pornography and child trafficking for sale and sexual exploitation; and sale of children for the purpose of illegal adoption, transfer of organs, child marriage and forced labour.
I understand that the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes has also agreed to meet with the Special Rapporteur while she is here.
Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries
Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of survivors that have given evidence to the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes to date; the number in this regard that were referred to counselling services; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Katherine Zappone): With regard to the statutory Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters), it is firstly important to recognise that the Commission is independent in the conduct of its investigations.
I am conscious that revisiting difficult personal experiences when giving testimony to a Commission would be distressing for those involved. I know that some people may need to access various supports around this time and I have previously advised any persons so affected to consider contacting the Health Service Executive National Counselling Service.
With regard to the Commission of Investigation, it is important to recognise that the statutory Commission is independent in the conduct of its investigations. Therefore, the individual arrangements with witnesses are a matter for the Commission and I have no role in this regard.
I am aware that the Commission does ask former residents attending as witnesses if they have access to supports and whether they would like information on available services. I understand that, if they so wish, this information is provided by the Commission but it does not make referrals to these services.
In relation to the number of former residents who have given evidence to the Commission, I do not have this information for the reasons outlined above. However, the Commission’s Third Interim Report, which I have published, states that as of September 2017, the confidential committee had met with 346 former residents or others with connections to the institutions under investigation, and expected to engage with a further 200 persons who had applied to meet the committee.
Residential Institutions Redress Scheme
Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the efforts that will be made to include those persons who were detained in the Magdalen laundries or mother and baby homes and who are dissatisfied with the redress scheme; if the proposed meeting will be confined to those who contacted the Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Charles Flanagan): To date 691 applicants have received redress amounting to €25.9m in lump sums under the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex-gratia Scheme. In addition, qualifying applicants receive additional benefits under the Scheme which include an enhanced medical card from the HSE and ‘top up’ pension payments from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
I recently informed the House that I had carefully considered the Ombudsman’s November 2017 report on the administration of the scheme by my Department and that I had held constructive discussions with him on my plans to implement the recommendations in his report. I have also briefed my Cabinet colleagues on these plans.
In relation to the four recommendations in the Ombudsman’s report, the following is the position:
– Where there is a dispute in respect of length of stay in a Magdalen Institution, Ms. Mary O’Toole S.C. has been appointed to review these cases.
– Ms O’Toole S.C. will also advise on assistance to be given to applicants who lack capacity to accept an award.
– The reviews recommended by the Ombudsman in regard to eligibility of cases of women who worked in one of the institutions covered by the Scheme but who were officially recorded as having been “admitted to” a training centre or industrial school located in the same building, attached to or located on the grounds of one of the laundries will be taken forward following a brief scoping review by an interdepartmental group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach.
– The recommendation to establish guidance on the development and operation of redress schemes will be examined in consultation with Government colleagues, including the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has responsibility for the on-going Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. The Third Interim Report of that Commission was published on 5 December 2017 with its final reports due to be completed by February 2019.