"Time is not on the side of survivors" Waterford TD asks for all Mother & Baby homes to be included in redress scheme
Deputy David Cullinane
Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, David Cullinane, has called on the Minister for Children, Norma Foley, to act following a landmark High Court ruling earlier this week on the exclusion of two institutions from the Mother & Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.
Judge Alexander Owens said that Minister Foley 'erred' when she failed to include two institutions in the mother and baby homes redress scheme.
It was reported in the Irish Times that as of the end of last year, almost 7,000 people had applied for redress under the payment scheme, with more than 5,000 receiving compensation to date.
Deputy Cullinane said:
“Every year since the scheme opened, millions of euros have been returned to the Exchequer unspent, while at the same time many survivors remain locked out. Among them are those who spent time in Temple Hill and St. Joseph’s, the institutions at the centre of the recent High Court proceedings. That is simply unacceptable.
Less than ten percent of the government's €800 million budget has been spent so far on this scheme, according to The Irish Times.
Deputy Cullinane continued,
“The Minister has previously argued that many survivors will wait until closer to the scheme’s closing date in 2029 to apply. But the reality is that time is not on the side of survivors. The question that must be asked is how many more people, currently excluded from the scheme, will pass away before they ever see justice.
“I welcome Judge Alexander Owens’ ruling that these institutions should have been included in the scheme and that the Minister will now be directed to properly consider their inclusion.
“No survivor should have to go to court to secure what is clearly their entitlement.
“All survivors excluded due to the institution they were in, or because of the six-month rule, should now be included in the scheme. This is the very least the State owes them, and they should not have to endure further legal battles to receive it.”
