Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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378. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 625 of 18 September 2024, the number of people who have attempted to apply to the mother and baby institutions payment scheme but were unable due to ineligibility; and the monthly breakdown of the number of applications to the redress scheme from it’s opening to date; in tabular form. [38533/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Deputy has sought some statistics pertaining to the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme which I provide here as at 23 September.

The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened for applications in March this year. As at 23 September, 5,139 applications have been received. There are 4,500 fully completed applications which have proceeded into the processing system. The other 639 applicants are being supported by the Payment Scheme Office in order to provide the outstanding information required so that their application can move forward.

3,012 notices of determination have issued to applicants. The number of those that are ineligible - where the notice of determination has issued with no offer of benefits - is 524. Once they receive a notice of determination, applicants then have 6 months in which to consider their offer before they need to respond to the Payments Office. With regard to those who have accepted an offer, 1,482 payments are either processed and completed or in the process of being made.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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379. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of the advertising spend on the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; the nature and location of each advertisement; and the demographics that each online advertisement was aimed towards. [38534/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme is an important measure in the Government’s Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Interdepartmental Group, that advised the Government on the design of the Scheme, estimated the cost of "Communication and Publicity" for a scheme of this scale at €2.75 million.

The Department is co-ordinating a significant public awareness campaign for the Scheme, operating on a phased basis. This campaign includes press releases, social posts, briefings with stakeholders, visits to Britain to meet with groups supporting applicants, and a paid, phased advertising campaign.

The initial phase of the paid advertising campaign ran in bursts, from end-March to end-June, across Ireland, the UK, USA and Australia. It consisted of radio (including 40+ national, regional and local stations in Ireland alone), print (including 70 inserts across national, regional and local in Ireland alone), and online advertising, along with an out-of-home poster campaign (e.g. post-offices, community centres, libraries). The total spend across all markets and media was €693,900.

With regards to online advertising, this consisted of social media ads across the meta platform, digital display ads on sites targeted at the Irish diaspora, and a paid search campaign. In Ireland, the meta ads were targeted at those aged 18-49 and 50+. Outside of Ireland they were targeted at ex-pats over 25 years of age. The digital display ads ran on sites targeted at the Irish diaspora, including Irish Central, the Irish Post, the Irish World, and the Irish Times Abroad. The search campaign ran across all markets and reached those who searched for specific terms related to the Payment Scheme.

The next phase of the public awareness campaign will commence circa mid October this year.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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380. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the planned excavation on the site of the mother and baby institution in Tuam, Galway; and the date on which exhumation will commence. [38535/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In October 2022 the Government made an Order, under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, to direct the establishment of an independent Office to lead an intervention at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam.

In March 2023, I formally established the Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam and in May I appointed Mr Daniel MacSweeney as the Director to head up that Office and to oversee the excavation, recovery, identification (if possible) and reburial, in a respectful and appropriate way, of the remains of the children at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam.

Following his appointment, the Director’s initial priority has been engagement with key stakeholders, including families and survivors of the Tuam institution. The Director has also been building the necessary foundations to deliver a project of this unique complexity, difficulty and scale in line with international standards and best practice. He has focused on the necessary preparatory works, including the recruitment of staff, establishment of administrative structures, site preparation, the securing of lab premises and the engagement of experts, all of which allows for the excavation to commence.

The Director has recently appointed a multi-disciplinary consultant to design the civil and structural engineering part of the excavation work and to assist in the process of procuring the services of a works contractor. I understand from the Director that preliminary works at the Tuam site will take place over the coming months, followed by the commencement of full excavation works in early 2025.

The Director will consult with family members, survivors and local residents about planned works and the details of the excavation.