Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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252. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when primary legislation will be introduced in order to extend the medical card and other health-related supports to the surviving women of the Magdalen laundries who have previously been excluded from the redress scheme due to the fact that they were recorded as being admitted to a different institution closely associated with their respective laundries within which they worked unpaid. [46952/18]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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253. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the benefits and entitlements that his Department will now provide to the surviving women of the Magdalen laundries who have previously been excluded from the redress scheme due to the fact that they were recorded as being admitted to a different institution that was closely associated with their respective laundries within which they worked unpaid. [46964/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 252 and 253 together.

Arising from a recommendation made by the Ombudsman in his report on the operation of the 2013Magdalen Restorative Justice ex gratia Scheme, the Government decided in May 2018 to apply the scheme to women who worked in the laundries of the 12 ‘Magdalen’ Institutions but who were resident in one of 14 adjoining institutions. To put this decision into effect, an Addendum to the scheme was drafted and has been approved by the Attorney General. This Addendum is published on the website of my Department - www.justice.ie - and lists the applicable institutions. Letters to the women potentially covered by the Addendum are issuing this week.

Although there is a difference in the way awards are calculated as between those women who are covered under the original 2013 scheme and those covered by the Government decision of May 2018, it is Government policy that benefits should accrue to both cohorts in the same way. This necessitates changes to two primary pieces of legislation - covering tax exemption in respect of awards made and the provision of certain health services. To this end, a specific provision in respect of tax exemption has been made in the Finance Bill 2018. Further, the Government has recently approved the drafting of an amendment to the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Act 2015 to ensure that same health benefits that apply to the women covered by the original 2013 scheme also apply to those women covered by the Addendum. Both legislative amendments will be progressed through the Oireachtas as quickly as possible.