Taoiseach: 'No plans' to open redress to all mother and baby homes survivors 

Campaigners are now calling on the Government to re-examine the redress scheme, which is only open to 40% of survivors, as they say it was based on the 'flawed' report. Picture: Andy Newman

The Government has "no plans" to open up a mother and baby home redress scheme to all survivors, despite the High Court finding that those who came forward were treated unlawfully by the commission of investigation.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has also insisted it is "not for Government" to repudiate the much criticised mother and baby homes final report.

Campaigners are now calling on the Government to re-examine the redress scheme, which is only open to 40% of survivors, as they say it was based on the "flawed" report.

However, Mr Martin moved to strongly defend the redress scheme announced by Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman. He said it "was not based on commission report" and instead went "significantly beyond it in terms of some of the suggestions that were made by the commission".

"I would say it's a very, very comprehensive redress scheme, it's estimated to cost over €800m."

When specifically asked if there are any plans to open redress up to children who spent less than six months in these institutions or to consider those who were boarded out, Mr Martin said: "Not at this stage, no."

"But obviously it now has to go to legislation so that could take the best part of 2022. We will engage with the opposition and there will be consultation in relation to it and we will follow through and we will obviously take views and take people's opinions on board as we go through the legislative process."

Before Christmas, the State acknowledged in the High Court that the rights of survivors were breached when they were not given a draft of the mother and baby homes commission's final report prior to its publication.

The court declared that eight survivors, including Philomena Lee, Mary Harney, Mari Steed, Madeleine Bridget Marvier, Mary Isobelle Mullaney and others not identified publicly had their rights breached when they were not given a draft of the final report prior to its publication.

Ms Harney said the outcome represented a vindication for all survivors of mother and baby homes, many of whom said the final commission report did not reflect their experiences or the testimony they provided. She said the redress scheme must take into account the breaches of these constitutional and human rights.

Campaigners have also called on the Government to repudiate the entire report.

Mr Martin acknowledged that commissions of investigation may not be the "ideal" method to carry out such examinations, but added: "First of all, it's not for Government to repudiate the report."

He also pointed out that a previous government set up the commission of investigation. 

"We have found it very difficult as a society and historically to get the ideal model to investigate the past and different aspects of the past. 

Whether the commission of investigation was ideal remains to be seen. That's not casting any aspersions on those who carried out the inquiry, they had to carry it out within the terms of references and within the law laid down.

"Once the commission investigation is established it's absolutely independent of any government and this report stands there."

Referring to the High Court actions, Mr Martin said survivors "weren't given that access [to the draft report] when they should have been given that access."

The Taoiseach said legislation currently being progressed that will provide adopted people with access to their birth certs and other personal information will be "groundbreaking".

"The main fundamental objective of many of those who were born in mother and baby homes is to have full, unfettered access to data pertaining to their records and that also will now happen and it's groundbreaking legislation, the kind of legislation that in the past, the Oireachtas was told it couldn't do. But it's being done now," he said.