Latest news with #MotherandBabyInstitutionsPaymentScheme
Irish Post
23-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Post
Families in Britain urged to come forward as Tuam exhumation work begins
THE Office of the Director of Authorised Interventions at Tuam (ODAIT) is set to begin work this summer on exhuming the remains of children who were buried in underground chambers on the grounds of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co. Galway. These chambers were previously part of a sewage system, and the institution operated from 1925 to 1961. The intervention follows two years of preparation and planning due to the sensitive and complex nature of the work. A shrine and garden at the site of the mass burial plot in Tuam The aim of the intervention is to restore dignity in death and, where possible, to identify those believed to have died while resident in the institution. ODAIT will recover the remains from what has been described by the Commission of Investigation as an inappropriate burial site, and, if identification is possible, offer dignified reburial in accordance with the wishes of family members and survivors. Identification will rely on DNA samples from people who believe they may be related to those buried at the site. ODAIT has stated that this process will be 'challenging due to the young age of the children at death, the elapse of time since their death, the environmental conditions in Tuam and the likely small number of close relatives who can provide samples'. To support this process, the agency is currently appealing for people to come forward who know or suspect they had a relative who died while resident in the Tuam Mother and Baby institution. Initially, ODAIT is prioritising the collection of DNA from elderly and/or vulnerable individuals who may not be in a position to wait for the general phase of the Identification Programme to begin due to concerns about their age or health. Those eligible to provide DNA samples under the legislation include (but may not be limited to): child, parent, sibling, half-sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, half-niece, half-nephew, grandniece or grandnephew. Further information is available at the ODAIT website or by contacting the office at [email protected] or by phone at 00353 1 539 1777. The work at Tuam forms one element of a broader set of measures announced by the Government as part of the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, published in November 2021. Two additional key supports include: Access to birth information, now available under the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, which provides a clear right of access to birth certificates and early life records for all those who were adopted, boarded out, nursed out, or affected by illegal birth registration. More details are available at The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, which offers financial payments and enhanced health supports to eligible individuals in recognition of the circumstances they experienced while resident in these institutions. To learn more or apply, visit For those living in Britain who have been affected by the Mother and Baby and County Home system in Ireland, support is available through the following organisations: The National Response Line (London Irish Centre): 0800 519 5519 Coventry Irish Society: 0247 625 6629 Fréa – Renewing Roots: 07432 138 682 If you live in Britain and are affected by any aspects of Mother and Baby and County Homes in the Republic of Ireland you can contact; The National Response line 0800 519 5519; Tuesday to Thursday 10am-4pm (The London Irish Centre), 0247 625 6629 (Coventry Irish Society) or 07432 138 68 See More: Exhumation, Galway, Irealnd, Mother And Baby Homes, Tuam
The Independent
08-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Only two religious bodies offer contributions to mother and baby redress scheme
Only two of eight religious bodies linked to mother and baby homes in Ireland have offered to contribute to a survivor redress scheme, a report has found. The Sisters of Bon Secours offered 12.97 million euro (about £11 million) – a sum deemed as meaningful and accepted by the Irish Government. The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul has proposed contributing a building to the scheme. That offer is to be considered by the Government. A third religious body – the Sisters of St John of God – declined to contribute to the scheme but offered a conditional donation of 75,000 euro (£64,000) to be used for a charitable purpose associated with mother and baby home survivors. The remaining five bodies – the Congregation of Lady of the Good Shepherd; the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy; the Legion of Mary; and the Church of Ireland – made no offer. The details were contained in a report compiled by Sheila Nunan, the independent negotiator appointed by the Government to engage with the organisations over financial redress. The negotiation was part of a bid to secure contributions from religious bodies towards the cost of the Government-established Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. The scheme will cost more than 800 million euro (£680 million) and the Government had been seeking around 270 million (£231 million) in total from the religious bodies. A commission of investigation was set up in 2015 to examine homes run by the state and religious organisations where tens of thousands of unmarried Irish women were sent to have their babies. The commission found that almost 170,000 women and children passed through the institutions from 1922 until the last one closed in 1998. The investigation exposed the often harsh conditions and unforgiving regimes many women and children experienced in the institutions. Minister for Children Norma Foley expressed disappointment at the approach adopted by the majority of religious bodies to the redress scheme. 'The commission (of investigation) made significant findings in relation to the failings of the state and religious organisations who together ran mother and baby and county home institutions,' said Ms Foley. 'I know that people across Irish society, both religious and lay, have been distressed and appalled by the harsh conditions that women who became pregnant outside of marriage endured in these institutions. 'They had to face unfair, unwarranted and unbearable shame and stigma both inside the walls of the mother and baby homes and outside the walls from both state and society.' She added: 'The state has accepted its own responsibility for what happened to women and their children in mother and baby homes by firstly apologising and also setting up a payment scheme. 'A process was put in place to seek a financial contribution towards the cost of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme from religious bodies associated with mother and baby and county home institutions. 'While acknowledging the financial contribution by the Sisters of Bon Secours, I believe that much more could have been done by the other religious bodies concerned. 'I would encourage other religious bodies to reflect further on their willingness to make a meaningful contribution to the payment scheme and note that my department is available to engage with them on this matter at any stage.' The department had been seeking a total combined contribution of 267.52 million euro (£229 million) from the eight organisations. Asked about compelling the religious orders to make further contributions, the minister said the Attorney General has been tasked with looking at 'what avenues are open' to the Government going forward. She said: 'That is a step that may well be taken.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Only two religious bodies offer contributions to mother and baby redress scheme
Only two of eight religious bodies linked to mother and baby homes in Ireland have offered to contribute to a survivor redress scheme, a report has found. The Sisters of Bon Secours offered 12.97 million euro (about £11 million) – a sum deemed as meaningful and accepted by the Irish Government. The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul has proposed contributing a building to the scheme. That offer is to be considered by the Government. A third religious body – the Sisters of St John of God – declined to contribute to the scheme but offered a conditional donation of 75,000 euro (£64,000) to be used for a charitable purpose associated with mother and baby home survivors. Min. @NormaFoleyTD1 today published the report of the independent negotiator, Ms. Sheila Nunan Ms. Nunan engaged with eight religious bodies involved in the institutions over a period of some 20 months Full Press Release: — Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, Youth (@dcediy) April 8, 2025 The remaining five bodies – the Congregation of Lady of the Good Shepherd; the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy; the Legion of Mary; and the Church of Ireland – made no offer. The details were contained in a report compiled by Sheila Nunan, the independent negotiator appointed by the Government to engage with the organisations over financial redress. The negotiation was part of a bid to secure contributions from religious bodies towards the cost of the Government-established Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. The scheme will cost more than 800 million euro (£680 million) and the Government had been seeking around 270 million (£231 million) in total from the religious bodies. A commission of investigation was set up in 2015 to examine homes run by the state and religious organisations where tens of thousands of unmarried Irish women were sent to have their babies. The commission found that almost 170,000 women and children passed through the institutions from 1922 until the last one closed in 1998. The investigation exposed the often harsh conditions and unforgiving regimes many women and children experienced in the institutions. Minister for Children Norma Foley expressed disappointment at the approach adopted by the majority of religious bodies to the redress scheme. 'The commission (of investigation) made significant findings in relation to the failings of the state and religious organisations who together ran mother and baby and county home institutions,' said Ms Foley. 'I know that people across Irish society, both religious and lay, have been distressed and appalled by the harsh conditions that women who became pregnant outside of marriage endured in these institutions. 'They had to face unfair, unwarranted and unbearable shame and stigma both inside the walls of the mother and baby homes and outside the walls from both state and society.' She added: 'The state has accepted its own responsibility for what happened to women and their children in mother and baby homes by firstly apologising and also setting up a payment scheme. 'A process was put in place to seek a financial contribution towards the cost of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme from religious bodies associated with mother and baby and county home institutions. 'While acknowledging the financial contribution by the Sisters of Bon Secours, I believe that much more could have been done by the other religious bodies concerned. 'I would encourage other religious bodies to reflect further on their willingness to make a meaningful contribution to the payment scheme and note that my department is available to engage with them on this matter at any stage.'
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Philomena's Law' tabled to help survivors of mother-and-baby homes
A proposed law to help thousands of mother-and-baby-homes survivors accept compensation without losing access to benefits has been tabled in the UK Parliament. Labour MP Liam Conlon moved 'Philomena's Law', named after survivor and campaigner Philomena Lee, as he warned that many survivors living in Britain have been deterred from making an application to the compensation scheme operated by the Irish government. Mr Conlon said current rules mean any money accepted through the scheme would be considered as savings and could see the survivor 'lose means-tested benefits and financial support for social care'. He added that ministers in Westminster could help up to 13,000 women by amending UK law to remove the risk, in line with similar changes made to help victims of the 7/7 London bombings and payments made under the Windrush compensation scheme. Family members of Ms Lee watched in the House of Commons as Mr Conlon presented the Bill on Wednesday. Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench portrayed Ms Lee in the 2013 film Philomena, which documented her 50-year search for her forcibly adopted son, Anthony. Mr Conlon's Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme (Report) Bill would require the UK Government to examine the potential merits of making the change. The MP for Beckenham and Penge told the Commons: 'Philomena is one of tens of thousands of women and their infant children who spent time in mother-and-baby homes across Ireland for the perceived sin of becoming pregnant outside of marriage. 'The women were regularly used as unpaid labour and infant mortality was alarmingly high. They experienced harsh conditions, mistreatment and abuse, both physical and psychological. 'In certain homes, women were routinely separated from their children, with some being adopted against the wishes or knowledge of their mothers, as happened to Philomena Lee and her son Anthony. 'As a direct result of the abuse and trauma they experienced, many mother-and-baby-home survivors moved to England. In some cases they came here because they thought that disappearing from their home country was the only way to protect their family's reputations. 'And so for decades, thousands of survivors, including here in Britain, lived in secrecy and shame.' Mr Conlon said the Irish government later apologised and the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened to applications last year. He said: 'Ultimately, the scheme aims to acknowledge the suffering and improve the circumstances of former residents of mother-and-baby homes, which is why it's wrong that up to 13,000 survivors living here in Britain today risk losing their benefits if they accept this compensation. 'Under our current rules, any money accepted through this payment scheme would be considered savings and could see them lose means-tested benefits and financial support for social care. 'For some, it is deterring them from making any application at all, it's one of the reasons why only 5% of survivors in Britain have applied so far. 'And for others, having received the compensation offer, they are now having to weigh up whether it's worth accepting the money or if to do so would sink them into a worse financial situation overall.' Mr Conlon said for many survivors the payment scheme had become an 'additional burden' but noted there was a 'relatively simple' solution. He said: 'The introduction of an indefinite capital disregard, which my Bill is proposing, would remove any risk to an applicant's benefits and there is also strong precedent for this with the same arrangements having been applied to similar special compensation schemes in the recent past. 'They include those introduced for the victims of the 7/7 London bombings and payments made under the Windrush compensation scheme.' Mr Conlon asked for his Bill to be considered at second reading on March 28. Laura Harmon, a Labour member of the Irish parliament's upper house, said in a statement: 'I welcome this Bill and 'Philomena's Law' will deliver justice to thousands of mother-and-baby homes survivors living in Britain.' She added: 'No amount of money can rectify the wrongs that were inflicted on survivors but access to this scheme should be uncomplicated for all survivors.'
