Still no deal on congregations' contribution to mother and baby home redress

The Government cannot compel the orders to make any payment, but it is requesting orders to help pay for some of the cost of the €800m redress scheme. File picture: Laura Hutton/RollingNews.ie

An agreement on how much religious congregations will pay towards the mother and baby home redress scheme is still a considerable way off, the Children's Minister has warned.

It is more than a year since Minister Roderic O'Gorman published details of the redress scheme, with applications due to open as early as possible in 2023.

However, Department officials remain locked in talks with the six religious orders involved in Mother and Baby homes on the amount that will be contributed to the State redress scheme.

This €800m scheme will provide financial payments and an enhanced medical card to defined groups in acknowledgement of suffering experienced while resident in mother and baby and county home institutions.

The Government cannot compel the orders to make any payment, but it is requesting orders to help pay for some of the cost of the redress scheme.

Asked if talks with the Bon Secours sisters, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Sisters of St John of God, Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Sisters of Mercy and the Daughters of Charity as well as a Catholic lay organisation, the Legion of Mary are near a resolution, Mr O'Gorman said there is "further work to go".

"They're ongoing, and as you know, I've met with a substantial number of congregations, outlined the position of the State, outlined the State's belief that we want to see a substantial contribution and I also said to them, that until we had an outcome with each of the congregations, I was going to keep those discussions confidential. I think that's the only way that a negotiation can can hopefully succeed," he said.

Mr O'Gorman told the Irish Examiner he had received approval for an overall financial payments package worth €800 million, which means the entire cost has been budgeted for. "It will be drawn down over a five-year period so that is what's been budgeted for. So the State can afford to pay it."

However, he said the aim is to secure a "significant" contribution from the various religious orders. "Obviously, I'd like these negotiations concluded and concluded successfully as quickly as possible. But it's a process and I'm prepared to give the process the time that it needs.

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"We've had a substantive engagement between myself and my officials and each of the other congregations. But there is more work to go," Mr O'Gorman said.

Meanwhile, campaigners and survivors have raised a number of concerns around the redress scheme, which they say does not go far enough. The scheme has been criticised as it excludes many people who were born in mother and baby homes and does not take into consideration those who were boarded out.

Raising the issue in the Dáil earlier this month, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was disappointed with the Government's decision to exclude from the redress scheme children who were boarded out.

"Religious orders and the State had a direct hand in the exploitation of such children, who were in effect abandoned to devastating exploitation, neglect and abuse within the families and communities to which they were boarded out," Ms McDonald said.

Then-Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said he noted Ms McDonald's concerns about some aspects of the legislation to allow for the establishment of the redress scheme.