Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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1349. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on when applications for compensation for mother and baby homes in Tuam will be opened. [56795/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I take it the Deputy is referring to the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. This will be the largest scheme of its type in the history of the State with an anticipated 34,000 people eligible for its benefits. Given its scale and significance the Scheme has been placed on a statutory footing and enabling legislation was signed into law last July.

A comprehensive body of work has been undertaken to develop the substantial administrative framework required to deliver a scheme of this size. This work includes:

• the making of the necessary regulations which must be in place prior to the Scheme opening;
• making arrangements for the staffing necessary to deliver the Scheme;
• Developing a comprehensive training programme for all staff involved in the Scheme;
• Developing hard copy and online application systems;
• Developing the case management IT infrastructure for the Scheme;
• Preparing for a substantive public awareness campaign to be delivered in Ireland and overseas. To this end, a recent stakeholder engagement process for the Payment Scheme has just concluded with representatives reviewing some of the application and information materials for the proposed scheme.

The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme is one element of a comprehensive package of support measures agreed by the Government as part of the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. Other important measures contained in the Action Plan response include access to birth information provided through the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, the intervention at the site of the former Tuam Mother and Baby Institution and the establishment of a National Centre for Research and Remembrance on the site of the former Magdalen Laundry on Sean McDermott Street.