Sinn Féin spokesperson for Children, Integration, Equality and Youth, Claire Kerrane TD, has called on Minister Roderic O’Gorman to urgently address the delays faced by survivors of Mother and Baby Homes in receiving redress under the Scheme.

Teachta Kerrane said:

“The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme opened for applications on March 20th this year yet, five months later, it appears many applicants are experiencing long waiting times for redress or even, communication on their application.

“The long waiting times are utterly unacceptable. Survivors of Mother and Baby Homes are already living with the trauma of these institutions and now, added to that, they are being met with significantly long delays in receiving redress and also from receiving responses from the Department in relation to their applications.

“Minister O’Gorman must immediately address these excessive delays. The Scheme needs to be prompt and efficient in order to provide the redress that survivors well and truly deserve.

“One family who contacted me on behalf of their family member, who is a survivor in his mid-80s, told me that they applied in March and are still waiting. They were advised when they sought an update five weeks ago that he would be contacted shortly – nothing has happened.

“Families understood that older applicants would be prioritised yet, this does not appear to be the case and another family I spoke to who are waiting as long, expressed to me their worry that there may be many more waiting but due to their age, they may not have a voice.

“There is also a genuine worry that more and more survivors will pass away without their application being finalised.

“I would like Minister O’Gorman to confirm the number of survivors who are waiting for redress, the number who have received redress to date and the average length of time applications are taking.

“I am calling on him to take immediate steps to reduce the current waiting times and to communicate with applicants rather than leaving them waiting for months and then having to contact the Department for updates.

“Of course, it has to be said this is a Scheme that excludes 24,000 survivors based on the cruel six month rule and due to certain institutions being excluded. On top of that we have learned that Minister O’Gorman intends to contest legal challenges to this exclusion, a heartless move by this government against survivors who have already suffered enough. The Minister should reconsider this approach.”