Finian McGrath
Question:1044. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will change his mind on the grave injustice to the Bethany Home Survivors Group. [37202/13]
View answerWednesday, 18 September 2013
Questions (1044, 1051)
Finian McGrath
Question:1051. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will act immediately on the Bethany Home issue. [37216/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1044 and 1051 together.
Since taking office I have indicated my willingness to address the question of the Magdalen laundries and separately the Bethany Home.
Along with Minister Lynch I met with those women who had been admitted to and worked in the laundries and listened to their stories. The McAleese committee was set up to establish the facts regarding Magdalen laundries and following on from that the Government decided to establish a scheme of benefits on the lines recommended by Judge Quirke. In looking into the issues raised relating to the Bethany Home I and Minister of State Lynch met with the Bethany Survivors Group this year. Many of the issues raised by the group fell outside the remit of my Department. However, I informed the group that I would consider the matter in consultation with my cabinet colleagues and revert back to them. This has been done and unfortunately the members of the group are disappointed with the outcome. The main demand of the Bethany Group is to be included in the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme which falls under the remit of the Minister for Education and Skills. He met with the Bethany Home Survivors Group in May 2011, but at that time he found no basis to revisit the decision of the previous Government that the Bethany Home should not be included.
Following my meeting with the Bethany Group, the matter of inclusion in the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme was considered at Cabinet but the position remains unchanged.