Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)

The Government's redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes is discriminatory and unjust. That is not my assessment; it is the view of the special advocate for survivors, who has examined the scheme.

In her report, Patricia Carey says the scheme has caused anger and distress, retraumatised some survivors and created a hierarchy of suffering. This is all down to a deliberate decision of the previous Government, of which the Minister was a part, to exclude tens of thousands of survivors from redress. Among those excluded are children who spent less than 180 days in an institution, those who were boarded out or fostered and people in institutions not included in the legislation, among others. The State and religious orders perpetrated horrific human rights abuses against vulnerable women and children for decades. They were detained and abused and used as indentured servants and for medical experiments. Children were stolen from their mothers and sold. There is no justification for refusing redress to so many children who suffered because of the actions of the State.

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