Latest news with #LiamConlon
RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
UK Govt considering whether to support Philomena's Law
The British Government is considering whether to support legislation, known as 'Philomena's law', which seeks to help UK based survivors of Irish mother-and-baby homes access compensation. Over 100 MPs and Peers have signed an open letter backing the proposed law. The legislation has been named after Philomena Lee, a mother and baby home survivor, whose story about her son being forcibly adopted was chronicled in the Oscar nominated film "Philomena". It's estimated that around 13,000 people living in the UK are mother and baby home survivors, however many risk losing their means-tested benefits if they avail of compensation under the Irish Mother and Baby Institution payments scheme. 'Philomena's Law' was first introduced to the House of Commons by the chair of the UK Labour Party's Irish Society, Liam Conlon MP. He is seeking a 'indefinite capital disregard', which is a legal mechanism that ensures compensation is not counted as savings for the purpose of benefits eligibility. This model was used in previous cases, including for survivors of the 7/7 and Manchester bombings, as well as the Windrush scandal. No timeline on final decision Today, Minister Andrew Western told MPs that Cabinet Secretaries are considering whether to legislate to ensure that survivors means-tested benefits are not impacted. He couldn't give a timeline as to when a decision will be made. "Part of the reason for this is that conversations are ongoing, not just across government but including Foreign and Commonwealth Ministers and officials, directly with the Irish government to talk about how that might work", he explained. The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, who is the constituency MP of Philomena Lee, called on the Minister to write to members within the next 14 days outlining a timeline for a decision. However, Mr Western said that he would not be in a position to do this. Ahead of today's debate, the first in Westminster, Liam Conlon MP explained that the legislation was also being introduce to raise awareness in relation to the Irish government's mother and baby homes scheme. "Take up is incredibly low in Britain and we want to ensure that every eligible survivor knows about it and feels empowered to apply", he explained. Stars lend support to legislation The actor Steve Coogan, who starred in the film 'Philomena', has expressed his support for the legislation. "Liam is doing fantastic work to raise awareness of this important issue and I'm backing 'Philomena's Law' to help him ensure that all survivors get the compensation they are rightfully due", he said. Irish actor and star of Derry Girls, Siobhán McSweeney, said that she "wholeheartedly" supports 'Philomena's Law', adding that "this legislation is a crucial step towards justice and dignity for those who have suffered in silence for far too long." The open letter has been signed by politicians from a number of parties, including Labour, DUP, UUP, SDLP, SNP, Sinn Féin, Liberal Democrats and Alliance. It states that "This complicated and stressful situation is putting undue pressure on survivors who are currently making applications to the payment scheme, forcing them to revisit their most traumatic experiences as they weigh up the cost of accepting compensation".
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Survivors of Ireland's mother and baby homes risk losing UK benefits over compensation
Survivors of Ireland's mother and baby homes are being 're-traumatised' by the prospect of losing benefits in the UK if they accept compensation from the Irish state, Westminster has been told. The warning comes amid a campaign backed by representatives of almost every political party in the UK and figures including Steve Coogan, who starred in Philomena, a film about the mother and baby homes scandal. More than 100 MPs and peers from across the political spectrum – including both Sinn Féin and Unionist MPs – have now signed a letter in support of the campaign led by the Labour MP Liam Conlon, ahead of a parliamentary debate on Tuesday calling for a change in the law. Ireland has begun the process of confronting one of the most painful chapters in its history by offering compensation to thousands of unmarried mothers who were shunned by society and hidden away in the church-run mother and baby homes. However, up to 13,000 of those survivors who are living in Britain risk losing access to essential means-tested benefits if they accept the compensation, which can range from €5,000 to €125,000 depending on the length of time people were resident. 'Sadly, for thousands of survivors in Britain, what was meant to be a token of acknowledgment and apology from the Irish Government has instead become an additional burden,' the letter states. At present, any compensation accepted through the Irish government's mother and baby institutions payment scheme by survivors living in Britain is considered as a recipient's savings. It can therefore disqualify them from means-tested benefits, including universal credit or pension credit, and affects eligibility for social care. The letter adds: 'This complicated and stressful situation is putting undue pressure on survivors who are currently making applications to the payment scheme, forcing them to revisit their most traumatic experiences as they weigh up the cost of accepting compensation.' The proposed solution, which is being called Philomena's Law, is to implement an 'indefinite capital disregard' – a legal mechanism that ensures compensation is not counted as savings for the purpose of benefits eligibility. Conlon said this model had been used for survivors of the 7/7 and Manchester bombings, as well as the Windrush scandal. 'Beyond ensuring that survivors are not forced to choose between compensation and vital benefits, our campaign has also been about shining a light on the mother and baby institutions payment scheme itself,' he said. 'Takeup is incredibly low in Britain and we want to ensure that every eligible survivor knows about it and feels empowered to apply.' The bill is named after Philomena Lee, whose story of forced separation from and later search for her lost son inspired the Oscar-nominated film starring Coogan and Judi Dench. 'As one of the people who suffered unimaginable abuse within a mother and baby home, I know that, while financial redress doesn't fix everything for families like mine, it represents a measure of accountability for what happened,' said Lee. The Irish government's redress scheme was introduced after an inquiry detailed the horrific experiences of about 56,000 women and about 57,000 children who were placed or born in homes, mostly run by nuns, between 1922 and 1998. In its report published in January 2021, it discovered an alarming number of deaths of babies in the homes and documented the cruelty and neglect suffered. Many women were forced to take part in work and separated from their babies, who were fostered or adopted. A DWP spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts are with the people impacted by this historic scandal. We are currently examining how compensation payments could impact benefit entitlement and will update in due course.'
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
More than 100 MPs sign open letter backing Philomena's Law
More than 100 MPs and Peers in Westminster have signed an open letter backing legislation to help UK based survivors of Irish mother-and-baby homes access compensation. It comes ahead of the first Westminster debate on 'Philomena's Law' this afternoon. The legislation has been named after Philomena Lee, a mother and baby home survivor, whose story about her son being forcibly adopted was chronicled in the Oscar nominated film "Philomena". It's estimated that around 13,000 people living in the UK are mother and baby home survivors, however many risk losing their means-tested benefits if they avail of compensation under the Irish Mother and Baby Institution payments scheme. "Philomena's Law" was first introduced to the House of Commons by the chair of the UK Labour Party's Irish Society, Liam Conlon MP. "Our campaign has also been about shining a light on the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme itself. Uptake is incredibly low in Britain and we want to ensure that every eligible survivor knows about it and feels empowered to apply", he explained. The actor Steve Coogan, who starred in the film 'Philomena' has also expressed his support for the legislation. "Liam is doing fantastic work to raise awareness of this important issue and I'm backing 'Philomena's Law' to help him ensure that all survivors get the compensation they are rightfully due", he said. Irish actor and star of Derry Girls Siobhán McSweeney said that she "wholeheartedly" supports Philomena's Law, adding that "this legislation is a crucial step towards justice and dignity for those who have suffered in silence for far too long." The open letter has been signed by politicians from a number of parties, including Labour, DUP, UUP, SDLP, SNP, Sinn Féin, Liberal Democrats and Alliance. It states that: "This complicated and stressful situation is putting undue pressure on survivors who are currently making applications to the payment scheme, forcing them to revisit their most traumatic experiences as they weigh up the cost of accepting compensation."
