Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1492. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when the mother and baby institution redress scheme will be open for applications; the timeline for when payments will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39255/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am acutely aware of the sense of urgency surrounding the establishment of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme and I am focused on delivering the Scheme as soon as possible.

To that end, a significant milestone was achieved on 11 July with the enactment of the underpinning legislation - the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023.

This Act allows for the establishment of an Executive Office in my Department to oversee the Scheme and the appointment of the Chief Deciding Officer in that office, as well as the staff needed to support the performance of his or her functions.

It also allows for the making of the necessary regulations which must be in place prior to the Scheme opening and provides a lawful basis for access to records and other information which are essential to processing of applications.

With the Act in place, my Department is now developing the administrative structures required to deliver the Scheme. A number of months will be needed to transition to a live Scheme.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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1493. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a status update on the negotiation process between the expert negotiator and religious orders with regard to contributing to the mother and baby institutions redress scheme; the expected timeline for the conclusion of the negotiation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39256/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Government believes that all relevant parties have a collective responsibility to respond to Ireland's legacy in relation to the Mother and Baby institutions. From its own perspective, Government is working through the commitments made in its Action Plan response, including the development of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, intervention at Tuam Mother and Baby Home burial site and access to birth information.

I commenced discussions with regard to a contribution from the religious congregations towards the cost of the Payment Scheme and I recently secured government approval to engage a negotiator to conclude these discussions.

While these discussions are ongoing they are being treated as confidential. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate to say anything further on the matter at this time but I will brief Government on the matter when the process is concluded. I expect this process to take a number more months.