Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if the Magdalen Laundry redress mechanism will be placed on a statutory footing. [10700/13]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if the Magdalen Laundry redress mechanism will include an independent appeals mechanism. [10701/13]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if surviving women wishing to avail of legal representation, for example women who wish to remain anonymous, that this will be allowed within the Magdalen Laundry redress mechanism. [10702/13]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if it his intention to withhold access to redress from surviving women of the Magdalene Laundries who have previously received supports from the Residential Institutions Redress Board for abuses suffered whilst in an industrial school. [10704/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 to 233, inclusive, and 235 together.

The Government is putting a comprehensive scheme of supports in place to underpin a process of healing and reconciliation for the women who were admitted to and worked in a Magdalen Laundry, and including the laundry operated at Stanhope Street Training Centre.

This scheme, the detail of which is being examined by retired High Court Judge and current President of the Law Reform Commission, Mr Justice Quirke, will be established soon. Judge Quirke has been asked to examine how, taking into account the McAleese Report, the Government might best provide supports (including health services such as medical cards, psychological and counselling services and other welfare needs) for the women who need such supports as a result of their experiences.

Judge Quirke has also been asked to advise on identifying the criteria and factors to be taken into account (such as work undertaken in the Laundries for no remuneration). He will advise on the operation of the Fund and, in particular, the nature and amount of payments to be made out of the Fund. A decision will be made on its detailed operation when he reports back in 3 months time.

Women who have already received payments under the Redress Scheme are not being excluded. There is one small area of possible overlap. Under the Redress Scheme, women who went straight from an industrial school to a Magdalen laundry may have received a redress payment for the period in the Magdalen laundry up to the age of 18. Judge Quirke has been asked to keep this in mind.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the reasons the Magdalen Laundry review terms of reference refer only to women who are now resident in Britain; and if surviving women who now reside outside Ireland and Britain will be able to access the Magdalen Laundry fund. [10703/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The terms of reference for Mr. Justice Quirke's work extends to women who were admitted to and worked in a Magdalen Laundry and in the Laundry operated in the Training Centre at Stanhope Street Dublin. The terms of reference do not refer to where these women are resident now.

The terms of reference specify an examination by Justice Quirke of the effect, if any, of the making of an ex gratia payment to a person who is resident in the UK and how best the making of such payment should be structured so as not to adversely affect their existing entitlements to benefits and supports.

The largest group of women who have been in a Magdalen Laundry represented by an organisation are those affiliated to the Irish Survivors Advice and Support Network (ISASN) in Britain and are UK based. This fact has been reflected in the terms of reference which do not exclude women living in other countries.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the formal action he will take to ensure the religious orders are brought to account for their role in the Magdalene Laundries abuse. [10705/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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If the Deputy is aware of any incidents of abuse which indicate that a criminal offence has been committed these should be reported to the Gardaí who will ensure that the matter is fully investigated and prosecutions, where warranted, ensue. The Deputy will be aware that there is no statute of limitations in this jurisdiction for serious criminal offences.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will include the survivors of Bethany Home in the Magdalen Laundry redress mechanism noting the principle of due diligence which provides that where State authorities knew of actual human rights abuses by non-State actor as recorded for example during State inspections of Bethany under the Registration of Maternity Homes Act and failed to take appropriate steps to prevent the violations or investigate and punish the perpetrators then the State bears the responsibility for the violations. [10706/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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One of the original charities associated with Bethany Home was established to assist women recently released from prison, hence my Department's interest. While we do not have full details, we have reason to believe that women prisoners on release from prison did go there. It would also appear that women convicted of criminal offences might agree to reside there as an alternative to a term of imprisonment. It was designated under section 108 of the Children Act 1908 for female, non Catholic children under 17 years, charged with criminal offences who might be remanded there or ordered to be kept there for a period not exceeding one month.

Bethany Home was not a prison and did not have any of the restrictions normally associated with such an institution. From the 1930s it was based in a house in Orwell Road, Rathgar. My Department has not received any complaints regarding the treatment of any of the females who were there and who had links with the criminal justice system. If the Deputy has any evidence of specific abuses with relation to this category of people, I would be happy to receive it.

While this aspect of their work with women from the criminal justice system continued after the establishment of the Bethany Home, it would appear that the vast majority of its work (over 90%) related to maternity cases and acting as a home for infants up to three years old. There were a significant number of Mother and Baby homes including the Bethany Home operating in the State at the time.

However Mother and Baby homes do not have any of the characteristics associated with a Magdalen Laundry - that is women working without pay in a laundry in an enclosed institution. Magdalen Laundries did not accept pregnant women or young infants. I understand that the Bethany Survivors Group do not argue that their situation is identical to that of the Magdalen Laundry survivors.

The question of the inspection of maternity homes falls to the Department of Health.

If the Deputy has any information that criminal offences having been committed, she should report the matter to the Gardaí for investigation.