Victor Boyhan (Independent)

I thank the Minister of State for coming here to take this Commencement matter. It relates to Westbank orphanage in Greystones, County Wicklow. I have raised the need for the Minister to explore all options to provide supports and redress for the survivors affected and by persons who availed of its services. This organisation is very well known. This matter has been well documented on current affairs programmes on RTÉ radio and television. Everyone shakes their head and says it is all shocking. You meet people in here day in, day out with so many of these stories. They are all saying it is all terrible yet they are in the heart of power in the corridors of power here and suddenly they are helpless to do anything. It is an extraordinary situation that I find myself in here as an advocate very regularly advocating around these organisations.

I think everyone here will appreciate there is a need to understand and make sense of what happened in anyone’s past, but particularly in relation to Westbank orphanage. Many children came from Northern Ireland into this establishment. There is also a need to learn from the past. We all must learn from the past so that similar things would never happen again as they did in Westbank. There is also the call for collective solidarity which is really important. The former residents of Westbank talk of a desire for justice, compensation and redress. Later we will discuss all those issues in the context of the legislation to wrap up Caranua and put in place some educational and health supports. That is for later. However, unfortunately Westbank is excluded from that.

For context I will read very briefly from a letter that was addressed to the then Taoiseach, Simon Harris on Monday, 8 April 2024 which I subsequently forwarded to Deputy Roderic O'Gorman who wrote back saying it was not a matter for him but rather Deputy Norma Foley as the then Minister for Education. The letter reads:

Congratulations on your election as Taoiseach, scheduled for tomorrow.

I rang your office on Tuesday last (2 April). I was asked to write to you to explain the injustice of denial of redress to residents of Westbank orphanage. [...]

In 2018, Minister Katherine Zappone invited nr to join Collaborative Forum, to advise on compensations arrangements for former mother and baby home residents. I continued in that capacity to advise current minister Roderic O'Gorman.

The Minister's compensation scheme made me ineligible for compensation. I will not even get an 'enhanced' medical card, though that is of little benefit where I live in Armagh. [...]

The Mother and Baby Home Commission of Inquiry (MBHCI) recognised the injustice of denial of redress to Westbank residents. The MBHCI twice called on the government to grant redress to Westbank residents. - The Commission's 2nd Interim Report (2016) stated (section 5.14) that Westbank "should have been included in the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme."

- The MBHCI's ... Final Report [in 2020, not that long ago] emphatically restated this position. It said that Westbank was "unfairly excluded from" the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme.

On behalf of the Westbank residents, as a conduit and a voice for them, I am calling on the Government to reopen the situation. I believe they have a strong case. I have reviewed all the files in relation to this matter. I have sought external advice. There may be other options that will have to be triggered in the coming days if there is not a favourable response from the Government on the final requests that have been made in the past few days. The Minister of State might be able to enlighten us today on what reliefs or alternatives could be available for the past residents of Westbank.