The Government’s redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes is expected to be open for applications in the first quarter of 2024, Minister for Children, Equality and Disability Roderic O’Gorman has said.
He told the Dáil on Thursday that negotiations with religious bodies which ran such institutions regarding financial contributions to the scheme are “ongoing” and are being treated as “confidential”.
Mr O’Gorman said a full report will be provided to Government once negotiations are concluded and they would then have to make a determination “if we see it as acceptable”.
“If we do not see it as acceptable, we will have to consider our options at that point. But I do think it is appropriate that we allow the negotiation to take place and see what offers come in, but also reserving the right to take other actions if we are dissatisfied,” he said.
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Mr O’Gorman said he hoped there would be a “clear, final conclusion” in terms of the negotiations in the first half of next year and that Sheila Nunan had been appointed to act on his behalf in leading the discussions.
Mr O’Gorman was responding to questions from Sinn Féin TD Kathleen Funchion, who also asked if there had been any negotiations with pharmaceutical companies about contributions to the scheme.
Mr O’Gorman said following the publication of the final report of the Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes, he had a meeting with Glaxo Smith Kline, GSK, the lead entity in many trials.
He said he conveyed his view that “all relevant parties have a moral and ethical obligation to take appropriate action in response to the report”.
“I urged them to consider the failures laid bare in the commission’s report and respond appropriately, given their corporate responsibilities,” he said.
“Ultimately, it is a matter for GSK to decide what action they take or remedy they offer, having considered the commission’s findings. I am aware that GSK has since publicised arrangements for persons wishing to access personal information which may be contained within their corporate archives.”
The Green Party TD also said “intensive work” was under way to establish the administrative systems and structures required to open the redress scheme to applications.
“The conclusion of this work is an absolute priority for myself and for the Department and my officials are working to ensure the scheme can open in quarter one of 2024,” he said.
Mr O’Gorman said no former resident needed to hire a solicitor or seek legal advice in order to access the scheme and he understood it was “being advertised by certain companies”.
“That is not necessary,” he said. “Once the scheme opens, there will be an extensive public information campaign. We will let people know when it is open and how to apply. Assistance and advice will be available for people through the office set up to give advice to people on how to apply.”
Ms Funchion said religious orders and pharmaceutical companies had to acknowledge the role they had played in such institutions.
The Carlow-Kilkenny TD also asked if the Government had looked at other ways to ultimately force both the religious orders and pharmaceutical companies to “pay up what they should for the horrific human rights abuses that they inflicted on people”.
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