This afternoon.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman (above) has sent the government’s Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions and details of the long-delayed Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme to survivor groups.
It will distribute up to €800 million among an estimated 34,000 survivors.
Minister O’Gorman writes:
The Payment Scheme will operate as follows:
1. All mothers who spent time in a Mother and Baby Institution will be eligible for a payment, increasing based on their length of stay.
2. All children who spent six months or more in an institution, and did not receive redress for that institution under the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (RIRS), will be eligible for payment based on their length of stay.
3. There will also be an additional, work-related payment for women who were resident in certain institutions for more than three months and who undertook what might be termed commercial work.
4. An enhanced medical card will be available to everybody who was resident in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution for six months or more.
5. Applicants will qualify solely based on proof of residency, without a need to bring forward any evidence of abuse nor any medical evidence. In certain limited circumstances, sworn affidavits may be required.
6. Those survivors and former residents now living overseas will qualify for a payment on the same terms as individuals living in Ireland, and will have the choice to receive an enhanced medical card or a once-off payment in lieu of the card as a contribution towards their individual health needs.
The legislation required to establish the Scheme will be developed by my Department as a matter of priority…
However…
…Although work has already commenced, it will take some time to make arrangements for this Scheme and it is hoped that the Scheme will be open for applications before the end of 2022.
Report here
Thanks Breeda
Waffle, waffle and more waffle.
…any mention of the Wellcome Foundation/Glaxo Laboratories, both of which are now part of GSK in all this?
+1
Sounds like it is being designed to avoid the standard institutional roadblocks. Hopefully it works out that way.
A lot of survivors will die before that deadline is ever met.
Yes, that’s probably true, unfortunately.
Designed to make sure Roderick won’t be the one who will eventually deal with it. Passing the buck in other words, like the string of ministers before him.
More Irish government arbitrary time caps. I spent four and half months in one of these establishments. I only ended up in there because my paternal grandfather insisted on it. I was adopted to a person with a severe mental illness which caused tremendous harm to my childhood and education culminating in me leaving school at 15 with no qualifications. I still have no access to any of my own documents. I spent half my life not knowing any of my biological family and sadly was robbed of years i could have had with a brother who died young. Still, no six months.
+1
I shouldn’t be as upset and disappointed with this mealy mouthed excuse for a proper redress scheme, but I am. No admission, no apologies, no right to separate redress, waive all rights, arbitrary 6 month cut off, Start sometime tomorrow .. didn’t expect any less… but still upset..
The Missing Children docu on RTE last week.
https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/the-missing-children/240535592138
Roddy eyes his seat this week.
Shambolic and insufficient. Blah, blah, blah.
Didn’t this guy also accede to sealing survivors’ testimonies until most of them are dead?
The first picture is kind of eery, all the dolls on perfectly made beds. So many baby beds.
It didn’t even register until you said it. It is really uncomfortable to look at, knowing what we know now.