Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
435. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the recommendation by the Ombudsman to extend the Magdalen laundry redress scheme to women that worked as children in Magdalen laundries will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45587/18]
View answer449. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he remains committed to complying with the recommendations of the Ombudsman’s report, Opportunity Lost - An Investigation by the Ombudsman into the Administration of the Magdalen Restorative Justice Scheme; and if he is satisfied with the ongoing delay by the Attorney General to approve an addendum to the Magdalen laundries redress scheme to enable his Department to pay out redress entitlements to elderly survivors of the laundries that were admitted via a training centre or industrial school located in the same building attached to or located on the grounds of one of the laundries. [45866/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 435 and 449 together.
The Government is committed to complying with all of the recommendations of the Ombudsman concerning the operation of the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex Gratia Scheme, as contained in his report of November 2017.
The Ombudsman made four recommendations in his report. A Senior Counsel has been appointed deal with two of them: to advise on assistance to be given to applicants who lack capacity to accept an award and to review cases where there is a dispute in relation to the length of stay in a Magdalen Institution. Her work on these issues is progressing. A third recommendation to do with establishing guidance on the development and operation of future redress schemes is currently being examined by an Interdepartmental group led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
The fourth - and principal - recommendation is that the Magdalen scheme should be applied to women who worked in the laundry of one of the 12 'Magdalen' Institutions specified in the 2013 Scheme, but who were resident in one of 14 adjoining institutions. An interdepartmental group which included the Office of the Attorney General was established to determine the manner in which this recommendation should be implemented having regard to the recommendations of the Quirke Report. Following on from this exercise, in May 2018 the Government accepted the Group’s recommendation that the scheme should apply to the cohort of women covered by the Ombudsman's recommendation as follows: that a "general" payment will be made for the period of residency in the adjoining institution in addition to a "work" payment for the period of work in the laundry of the 'Magdalen" Institution.
That decision required some legal and technical work to be completed before applications could be processed. This included the preparation of an addendum to the terms of the scheme. Officials in my Department are working closely with the Office of the Attorney General and I expect the addendum to be finalised imminently. Once this has been finalised the addendum will be published and processing of applications will commence. Officials will also contact applicants to keep them informed of developments.
