Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is important to bring forward this motion today. On 16 November 2021, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth published details of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. At the time, the Minister stated that the legislation underpinning the scheme would be developed by the Department as a matter of priority. The Bill was eventually published on Monday of this week, 17 October 2022, almost one year on. This legislation will allow for the establishment of an independent executive office, housed within the Department, with responsibility for administering the scheme. The delay in publishing the Bill means it is now unlikely that the scheme will open for applications until well into 2023.

The establishment of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme is a centrepiece of the action plan for survivors and former residents of mother and baby county home institutions which seeks to implement commitments made by the Government in January 2021 to respond to the priority needs of the survivors. Following the findings of the OAK report in February 2021, the Minister established an interdepartmental group to develop detailed and costed proposals for the scheme. The interdepartmental group commissioned OAK Conflict Dynamics Limited to consult survivors and their representatives and the consultations took place between March and April 2021. The purpose of the consultations was to obtain the views of survivors, their families, representatives, advocates and other interested parties on what should be included in the proposed financial scheme, including a form of enhanced medical card. The majority of the stakeholders who participated in the consultation process support a universal, inclusive scheme. The largest proportion of written submissions stated that all mothers and their babies who resided in an institution for any length of time should be eligible for the redress, regardless of whether children were accompanied or unaccompanied by their mothers.

See this speech in context