2026-02-12

93. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to ensure the survivors of institutional abuse who recently ended their hunger strike receive their HAA card and full contributory pension. [11582/26]

I congratulate the Minister on her role. I have not seen Deputy Naughton in the Chamber in this capacity. I wish her the very best of luck. I wanted to discuss those people who were on hunger strike for 51 days before Christmas. Lots of promises have been made and negotiations have happened but there has not been much action. I want to remind people why they were on hunger strike. It was because when they were children, they were boarded out. They were part of industrial schools or reformatory schools. They were physically abused, mentally abused and sexually abused. They were unloved, underfed, beaten, spat at, kicked and punished for years and years. I want to know what are the Minister's plans to make sure that everything they requested and that was negotiated will now come to fruition.

I thank the Deputy for allowing me the opportunity respond to her question. I am deeply conscious of the enormous trauma that has been endured by all survivors of abuse. While nothing we do now can ever undo the hurt which has been caused, Government is committed to providing appropriate supports to survivors. Last July, the Oireachtas passed the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025. The Act has two main purposes: to enable the delivery of ongoing health and education supports to survivors of abuse in residential institutions; and to allow the formal dissolution of Caranua. The package of supports builds upon the already significant State response to this issue. In September, following the passage of the Act, a group of industrial school survivors commenced a protest outside Leinster House, seeking additional support to be put in place. There was significant engagement with the group, including with officials from my Department and multiple meetings with both the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Taoiseach. Arising from this, the group agreed to engage in a mediation process and cease their protest. The mediation process recently concluded, and Government has approved the implementation of a number of commitments. Under the Act, eligible survivors will be provided with a medical card which will entitle them to certain health supports and services through the HSE. This entitlement, which is similar to the health supports provided to survivors and former residents of the Magdalen laundries and mother and baby institutions, will be for life and will not be subject to a means-testing review. Government has agreed to strengthen this package of health supports through the appointment of specified liaison officers within the HSE and through improved access to counselling and physiotherapy services. This is not a Health (Amendment) Act, HAA, card but is instead a package of supports specifically for survivors. The Deputy asked about the timelines around this. Work is ongoing within my Department with all the relevant Departments to finalise the arrangements on the delivery of those supports as soon as possible and further information will be published on the Department's website, and it will be communicated widely with the relevant groups and agencies.

While that is welcome and the survivors, with whom I have spoken, are happy the things being outlined are going to happen, the problem is around when they will happen. When will there be the apology from the Government about the criminal records given to these children? The Taoiseach promised these things in the letter in November. When will the apology from the Government about the boarding out of the children happen? Has the circular to the local authorities gone out as promised? With regard to the social protection that would give financial assistance, when will that happen? Some of the people who have been on hunger strike have been suffering financially because they are living in local authority situations that, I have to say, are not great. Before Christmas, I was quite worried about one in particular. I know the package of supports is not the HAA card. I would caution that I am aware that for people who were in mother and baby homes and have a HAA card, it does not always work out like it is supposed to be. Where things are supposed to be free of charge, they are being charged but I can come to that at another time. The health liaison officers are still not in place. When will they be in place? It is really a matter of when. I am looking for more specific details than it will be in the near future.

Issues were raised with regard to a pension as well. Government has instead approved the expansion of the education support payments scheme under the Act to provide support for informal learning and self-development, as well as formal learning. This revised arrangement has been accepted by the survivors. My Department is finalising arrangements for the delivery of these supports as soon as possible. The Deputy can be assured of that. I would also note that my Department has engaged Sage Advocacy, an independent advocacy organisation with a strong track record in providing advocacy supports to vulnerable adults, older people and healthcare patients, to develop information, support and advocacy services for survivors to assist them in engaging with and accessing relevant services and supports. Sage has appointed advocates around the country who are providing this assistance to survivors. The Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025, which was passed last July, provides for the delivery of a package of ongoing health and education supports. This marks a new phase in the State's response to this issue. To fundamentally answer the Deputy's original question, this will happen as soon as possible and work is ongoing within my Department.

I appreciate that, and I know they do as well. Going back to the human level, however, that Act was enacted in July and they were on strike in the autumn. It is now springtime. They have had decades of recurring trauma based on how this country treated them as children. Some of them are of advanced age and some are not but, with the toll it has taken on them - not only the hunger strike but the entirety of their lives - they have said they do not know how much longer they have. I urge the Minister to be as fast as she can on this and that we never forget. I am hoping the Government will issue that apology sooner rather than later. I know there are technicalities it needs to do but an apology is an acknowledgement of things not being right in the past. Before I finish, I welcome my transition year students who are up in the Public Gallery and have done great work this week. Well done lads, you have been brilliant.

To reassure the Deputy, I know the importance given to this from the Taoiseach down in respect of providing these supports as quickly as possible. My Department is working to finalise the arrangements of the delivery of those supports the survivors agreed to as quickly as possible. That includes engaging with relevant Departments and agencies, particularly the Department of public expenditure and reform and digitalisation and the Departments of Health and Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE. Further information on the supports, including the application processes, will be published on the Department's website in due course. The availability of those supports will be communicated as widely as possible, particularly through engagement with survivor groups, the special advocate for survivors and Sage advocacy, so that survivors are made aware of the availability of the supports and are provided with clear information on them and how they can be accessed.