Special advocate in mother and baby redress scheme to be paid more than some survivors

Patricia Carey secured the role of special advocate for survivors of Ireland’s institutions through the Public Appointments Service and took her new position on March 25, 2024.

A special advocate who was appointed by the government to represent the interests of survivors of Ireland’s institutions will receive a salary of up to €106,000 per year.

The salary for the role has been questioned by some advocates, who note that it is higher than compensation that will be paid to some of the survivors. Patricia Carey secured the role through the Public Appointments Service and took her new position on March 25, 2024.

The former CEO of the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) will be employed for three years, however the Department of Children said there was a “possibility of reappointment for a further term(s)”.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the department said: “The salary scale for the position is aligned to that of an Assistant Principal (Higher) in the Civil Service, as follows:

“€85,100 – €88,337 – €91,582 – €94,826 – €98,068 – €99,963 – €103,179 – €106,405.

“Travelling expenses and subsistence allowances will be payable to the Special Advocate in accordance with standard Civil Service rates and regulations.” 

The department did not specify which pay grade Ms Carey will be receiving. 

The role comes as the redress scheme for Mother and Baby Home survivors officially opened on March 20 and up to 34,000 survivors will be eligible for a payment. The compensation package, which is expected to be the largest in the history of the State, will cost approximately €800m.

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The Special Advocate for Survivors role was created by government following several reports on the conditions of former institutions here including the mother and baby homes, county homes, Magdalene laundries, and industrial schools.

It is understood that up to 230,000 survivors were in institutions across Ireland between 1920s and 1998. Speaking on RTÉ recently, Ms Carey said her primary focus was on “building trust” with the community.

“I think the main focus at the start is creating trust, this is a very large group of people, and they are not a homogenous group of people”, she said.

I want to create trust, and I want to create a space that people can have some truth-telling.

She said she “fully expects the suspicion” that may be felt by some survivors because of her role in a state office but insists she will take views on board and "amplify" what needs to be said to government "in an independent way".

The redress scheme will also see 24,000 people excluded from the package because those who were in homes less than six months and those boarded out and illegally adopted will also not qualify.

Ms Carey said her role was not just about the redress scheme, she will also be advocating for elderly survivors who do not have an official State identification in order to claim their compensation as well as the enhanced medical card and the exhumation of the Tuam grave.

“I will be listening to people, I’ll be listening to what they have to say”, said Ms Carey.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Colleen Anderson who was born in Sean Ross Mother and Baby home in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, said: “Ms Carey's salary is higher than some of what the longest incarcerated survivors will receive.

“It is just more money that they could be giving to the survivors who have been excluded from the scheme. The government hasn’t really listened to survivors anyway, the whole process has been unfair, so why would this be any different.”