Mother And Baby Homes

Some victims and survivors of mother and baby homes are being "arbitrarily excluded" from the redress scheme being launched today, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said. The national human rights institution has raised concerns about the eligibility for payments, including a rule r

The payment scheme for survivors and former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions will open for applications next month. The scheme, which the government has promised since 2021, will be open for applications from 20 March 2024. Around 34,000 people are expected to qualify for pa

Barrister and Dublin district coroner emeritus Dr Brian Farrell has been appointed to chair the board advising the independent office overseeing the excavation of the mass child burial site at Tuam. The appointment of the advisory board follows the appointment in May of solicitor Daniel Mac Sweeney

Solicitor Daniel Mac Sweeney has been appointed to head up the independent office overseeing the excavation of the mass child burial site at Tuam. Mr Mac Sweeney has been appointed as a director of authorised intervention under the Institutional Burials Act 2022 and his office will ensure the childr

Human rights lawyer Colin Smith BL has been appointed to the truth recovery independent panel for Northern Ireland's mother and baby institutions, Magdalene laundries and workhouses. The independent panel forms part of the integrated truth investigation recommended by the truth recovery design panel

The government has not set out a clear target date for the enactment of legislation establishing a payment scheme for survivors and former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions. Roderic O'Gorman, the minister for children, equality, disability, integration and youth, yesterday pu

A special advocate for survivors will be appointed to represent the collective interests of those who suffered institutional abuse, the government has announced. The proposal to appoint a special advocate originates in the action plan for survivors and former residents of mother and baby homes and c

The Institutional Burials Act 2022 commenced on 15th July 2022.1 It is a remarkable new law that literally creates “groundbreaking” powers. Its three goals in relation to “manifestly inappropriate burials”2 on institutional land are to: (i) identify human remains, (ii) make f

Legislation providing a lawful basis for a forensic excavation, recovery and analysis of remains at the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam will be brought to the Oireachtas within a fortnight, the government has announced. Children's minister Roderic O'Gorman today obtained government a

Long-awaited legislation providing for the exhumation of remains from the site of former mother and baby homes is expected to be published this week. The Certain Institutional Burials (Authorised Interventions) Bill will provide a legal basis for the excavation, exhumation and re-interment of remain

The government has admitted that the inquiry into mother and baby homes breached its statutory duty by failing to provide a draft copy of its report to the victims and survivors who gave evidence to it. The admission forms part of a settlement in eight judicial review cases which were launched in re

Belfast-based KRW LAW LLP has launched legal action against the Irish State on behalf of a man who spent the first two weeks of his life in a mother and baby home. Under the redress scheme announced by the Irish government last month, only those who spent at least six months in a mother and baby hom

Christopher Stanley, litigation consultant at KRW LAW LLP in Belfast, offers a timely review of a new book documenting the campaign for victims and survivors of Magdalene laundries. For almost 15 years I have practised law predominantly concerned with addressing the human rights deficit created by t

Irish government proposals for payments to victims and survivors of mother and baby homes are "too little, too late" and pale in comparison to proposals north of the border, lawyers have said. Belfast-based KRW LAW LLP, which represents a number of survivors of mother and baby homes, Magdalene laund

A statutory public inquiry into mother and baby institutions and Magdalane laundries in Northern Ireland will take place as part of an "integrated truth investigation", the Northern Ireland Executive has announced. Ministers have agreed all recommendations in the report produced by the truth recover