Latest news with #motherandbabyhomes
The Guardian
7 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.'
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
Son of Tuam survivor ‘over the moon' to secure funds to buy mother's home
A man who was reunited with his birth mother, a survivor of one of Ireland's most notorious mother and baby homes, has raised more than 70,000 euro to buy her home. Patrick Naughton, 70, from Ealing, west London, was taken from his mother, Christina 'Chrissie' Tully, from the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway in 1954, just weeks after she gave birth to him aged 24. Mr Naughton, who moved to the UK with his adoptive parents aged 13, was reunited with Ms Tully, now 93, in 2013. In a bid to help his birth mother, whom he said 'never had anything in her life', Mr Naughton set up a fundraiser to help her buy her council home, which was valued at 50,000 euro (£42,000). Last week Ms Tully's story was picked up by the New York Times and since then their fundraiser has reached more than 71,000 euro (£59,000), hitting their target. 'Chrissie is stunned – the penny hasn't dropped yet,' Mr Naughton told the PA news agency. 'She never believed it would happen in her lifetime. 'I just can't thank everybody enough. It means the world and the earth to both of us. 'We had a wonderful woman in San Diego who was moved by our story and she donated 50,000 dollars (£37,000). I'm just over the moon.' Ms Tully, who had given birth to another boy in 1949, when she was 18, via Caesarean section, was told by doctors at the time that he had died. But she believes her son, whom she named Michael, is still alive. As many as 68,000 people went through the religious-run mother and baby homes. Women's babies were forcibly taken from them and adopted. Up to 9,000 children died in institutions across the country, in appalling conditions. Mr Naughton said he had set up the fundraiser to buy her home from Galway council in case Michael ever returned like he did. He said he and his mother have searched 'high and low' in recent years for records of her first child, but have been unable to find anything. He said Ms Tully received a record from a Freedom of Information request that said the baby had been 'returned to Tuam home' after he died. In 2014 it was revealed that hundreds of babies had been 'indecently buried' in a sewage tank at the Tuam mother and baby home. The research by local historian Catherine Corless found that 796 babies and young children had died and been 'indecently buried in a defunct sewage system' at the home between 1925 and 1961. Ms Tully, who said 'he could be in that pit in Tuam, but he could also have been adopted', said she wanted to keep her home for after she had died, in case he came looking for her, like Mr Naughton. After they hit their fundraising target Mr Naughton said: 'We will get a plaque and we will put it up over the door and call it 'Michael's home'.' Mr Naughton, who regularly travels to Ireland to visit his birth mother said: 'I am so happy because all of her life she's never had or owned anything. 'She worked in a priest's house for 13 years and then she worked in another home for 26 years simply because they were live-in jobs as she had nowhere to go. 'That's the icing on the cake is that she can spend the last few years of life knowing that she's an equal. 'Thanks isn't enough for the people that have done this. 'I just hope and pray to God Michael does come back.'
BreakingNews.ie
13-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Son of Tuam survivor 'over the moon' to secure funds to buy mother's home
A man who was reunited with his birth mother, a survivor of one of Ireland's most notorious mother and baby homes, has raised more than €70,000 to buy her home. Patrick Naughton, 70, from Ealing, west London, was taken from his mother, Christina 'Chrissie' Tully, from the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway in 1954, just weeks after she gave birth to him aged 24. Advertisement Mr Naughton, who moved to the UK with his adoptive parents aged 13, was reunited with Ms Tully, now 93, in 2013. In a bid to help his birth mother, whom he said 'never had anything in her life', Mr Naughton set up a fundraiser to help her buy her council home, which was valued at €50,000. Chrissie Tully, 93, a survivor of the Tuam mother and baby home in Co Galway (Patrick Naughton/PA) Last week Ms Tully's story was picked up by the New York Times and since then their fundraiser has reached more than €71,000, hitting their target. 'Chrissie is stunned – the penny hasn't dropped yet,' Mr Naughton said. Advertisement 'She never believed it would happen in her lifetime. 'I just can't thank everybody enough. It means the world and the earth to both of us. 'We had a wonderful woman in San Diego who was moved by our story and she donated $50,000 (€44,800). I'm just over the moon.' Ms Tully, who had given birth to another boy in 1949, when she was 18, via Caesarean section, was told by doctors at the time that he had died. Advertisement But she believes her son, whom she named Michael, is still alive. As many as 68,000 people went through the religious-run mother and baby homes. Women's babies were forcibly taken from them and adopted. Up to 9,000 children died in institutions across the country, in appalling conditions. Mr Naughton said he had set up the fundraiser to buy her home from Galway council in case Michael ever returned like he did. Advertisement He said he and his mother have searched 'high and low' in recent years for records of her first child, but have been unable to find anything. He said Ms Tully received a record from a Freedom of Information request that said the baby had been 'returned to Tuam home' after he died. A mass unmarked grave at the former site of the Bon Secours mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway (Niall Carson/PA) In 2014 it was revealed that hundreds of babies had been 'indecently buried' in a sewage tank at the Tuam mother and baby home. The research by local historian Catherine Corless found that 796 babies and young children had died and been 'indecently buried in a defunct sewage system' at the home between 1925 and 1961. Advertisement Ms Tully, who said 'he could be in that pit in Tuam, but he could also have been adopted', said she wanted to keep her home for after she had died, in case he came looking for her, like Mr Naughton. After they hit their fundraising target Mr Naughton said: 'We will get a plaque and we will put it up over the door and call it 'Michael's home'.' Mr Naughton, who regularly travels to Ireland to visit his birth mother said: 'I am so happy because all of her life she's never had or owned anything. 'She worked in a priest's house for 13 years and then she worked in another home for 26 years simply because they were live-in jobs as she had nowhere to go. 'That's the icing on the cake is that she can spend the last few years of life knowing that she's an equal. 'Thanks isn't enough for the people that have done this. 'I just hope and pray to God Michael does come back.'
