Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 February 2022
105. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the mother and baby institutions payment scheme Bill will provide for access to redress for survivors of institutions not included within the scope of the Commission of Investigation into the Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes (details supplied). [7093/22]
View answer106. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the mother and baby institutions payment scheme Bill will provide for access to redress for survivors who spent a period of less than six months in an institution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7094/22]
View answer107. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if it is envisaged that applicants for the planned redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby and county homes will be entitled to seek assistance from a solicitor when completing an application. [7095/22]
View answer108. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the interim compensation scheme to ensure that older survivors of mother and baby homes and county homes have timely access to redress. [7096/22]
View answer109. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the timeline on the passage of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme Bill. [7097/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 105 to 109, inclusive, together.
I fully understand the sense of urgency in relation to the establishment of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. I have been given Government approval to bring forward legislation on the basis of the agreed proposals for the Scheme and my officials are working on drafting a General Scheme of a Bill as a matter of a priority. As previously stated, I will seek priority drafting of the Bill when submitting the General Scheme to Government to ensure that the Bill can be introduced to the Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as possible thereafter, subject also to any pre-legislative scrutiny process which may take place. Once the legislation has been passed by the Oireachtas and the administrative infrastructure required to deliver the Scheme has been established, the Scheme will be open for applications. I hope that this will be possible by the end of 2022.
The Deputy has asked about an interim payment scheme for older survivors. My focus is on delivering the Scheme itself as quickly as possible. Once the Scheme is open for applications, it is intended that priority will be given to those who are elderly, and any other categories deemed appropriate for prioritisation. As the design of the scheme is predicated on a single payment based on evidence of residency, it is not clear how any interim arrangement could be designed more quickly than the scheme itself. This is because the same administrative infrastructure must be established to receive applications and make payments on this scale, regardless of whether this would be done by way of interim arrangement or through the scheme itself. Similarly, a legislative basis is needed to govern access to records confirming residency and to provide for eligibility for an enhanced medical card, as well as to ensure that any payments received will be disregarded for the purposes of establishing social welfare entitlements or tax liabilities.
The proposals for the Scheme are centred on a non-adversarial approach which will be as straightforward as possible for applicants. As the Deputy will be aware, it is intended that an Executive Office will be established in my Department to administer the Scheme. The staff of the Executive Office will be trained to support survivors in completing their applications. Applicants will also be entitled to financial support, subject to agreed limits, to avail of independent legal advice at the point of signing a waiver and should an affidavit be required to support their application.
In terms of eligibility, the Scheme will encompass the 14 Mother and Baby Institutions investigated by the Commission of Investigation and all County Home Institutions. The agreed proposals set out that a person will be eligible for a General Payment if they were either:
a) A pregnant or unmarried mother who was resident in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution for any period of time, including when under 18 years of age at the time of being pregnant.
b) A person who was resident as a child in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution for a period of six months or more (and who did not receive redress under the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme).
It is also important to note that the Government's comprehensive Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions will cater for the needs of all those who are affected by Ireland's complex legacy in this area. In particular, I would reiterate that the overwhelming priority need which has been expressed to me by people who, as children, were adopted or otherwise separated from their birth family, is access to records concerning their birth and early life information. Action 4 of the Action Plan provides for this through the Birth Information and Tracing Bill and the investment which has been made available to support implementation of this legislation, which has recently completed Second Stage in the Dail.
I trust this information in relation to the proposals for the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme and the broader Action Plan is helpful. Further details concerning the Scheme and the Action Plan can be found on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/294f6-mother-and-baby-homes/.
