Mother and Baby Homes

78. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the review of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. [78585/26]

I ask about the review that has commenced regarding the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. This long-awaited review appears to have commenced on 19 October, something we learned when the special advocate came before our committee last week. She had not been notified that the review was about to commence, nor was any Member of the House or Oireachtas committee members, something I find very unusual given this has been long-awaited and was part of the legislation. Will the Minister of State provide us with an update on the review?

I thank the Deputy. I will read out the update provided by the Minister, Deputy Foley. The mother and baby institutions payment scheme opened for applications in March 2024. As of 25 October 2026, over 7,800 applications had been received. To date, more than 6,800 notices of determination have issued and payments totalling some €84 million have been made to applicants. Over 2,900 applicants have qualified for health benefits, including either a medical card for life for those living in Ireland or health support payments for those living abroad. At the end of August, a new public information campaign commenced and I am pleased to report that this appears to have generated a substantial increase in applications over the last two months. Applications have increased from a monthly average of 56 in the first seven months of the year to a monthly average of 178 in September and October. In total, 417 new applications have been received since the campaign commenced. While the current 12-week campaign is scheduled to conclude later this month, we may look to extend this into 2027 in keeping with our commitment to raising awareness. Outreach and communication activities will also continue for the remainder of the scheme to maximise awareness and encourage eligible individuals to come forward and apply. The underpinning legislation for the scheme provides for a number of reports and reviews to be produced. Section 48 of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 provides for two reviews of the operation of the scheme, the first of which is to take place around the scheme's midpoint. The scope of the review is prescribed in the Act. It will focus on administrative and operational aspects of the scheme. It will consider issues such as the level of uptake of the scheme, the experience of applicants, the extent to which payments have been made and if the scheme is achieving its purpose as set out by the Oireachtas. The Act does not provide for the review to consider the scheme's scope or eligibility criteria because those matters were already determined by the Oireachtas during the legislative process.

The Minister has repeatedly said eligibility will not be part of the review. It should be, given that the scheme is coming up to its third year and €800 million was the figure cited at the start of the process. A total of €84 million has been paid out and money has been returned at the end of every year. At the same time, survivors in other institutions are not included because of the name of the institution concerned. Others are impacted by the six-month rule. Some were boarded out and have received nothing apart from an apology on the floor of the Dáil. That is not much use to them. They are not being recognised. The Government is handing back unspent money and excluding and splitting survivors into those who were in certain institutions who will receive redress and those who were in other institutions and suffered the same treatment, if not more, but do not matter and are left out. The review needs to examine eligibility because survivors will pass away having received no recognition or respect from the State. It is not acceptable or good enough. I again ask that the review examine eligibility.

I thank the Deputy for her feedback on the scope of the review, which I will pass on to the Minister, Deputy Foley. To update the House on the review, the initial steps in the process include the establishment of a working group to oversee the review. The Minister, Deputy Foley, was keen to appoint an independent external chair to this working group in order to support rigorous and objective oversight. To that end, the Minister recently secured a person with the expertise and experience needed to take on this role. This has enabled membership of the working group to be finalised. I understand this happened in the past day or so and the Minister will write to the Oireachtas committee to confirm the full membership of the working group. The review will include detailed statistical assessment, business processes analysis and a comprehensive survey of applicant experience overseen by the working group and also independently quality assured. When completed, the Minister will, of course, ensure the report will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

It would be helpful to know why the review has commenced so quietly. The special advocate, whose number one responsibility was to be the voice of survivors, was not informed that the review was about to commence; she was told after the fact. That makes no sense and needs to be rectified as quickly as possible. The same special advocate has completed her first report. Her number one recommendation was the urgent expansion of the scheme. The mother and baby institutions redress scheme should be about all survivors, not just some. I have cited Michael Grant, who spent the first year of his life in Temple Hill. According to the Department, it is deemed a hospital, yet his birth mother paid rent for him to remain there for the first year of his life. That is not a hospital. He had no medical issues. I cannot tell the Minister of State how hard it is to sit across from Michael Grant and try to tell him he will not receive redress due to the fact the institution concerned is not on the list. It is unacceptable and needs to be rectified. Survivors will pass away and money will not be spent when it should be. The scheme should include all survivors.

I thank the Deputy for her feedback on the scope. She referenced the special advocate. The Minister informs me that she met the special advocate on several occasions and greatly values her views and insights. Officials in the Department have monthly meetings with the special advocate to discuss operational, promotional and other aspects of the scheme, aiming always to improve the scheme operations and communications. I understand that the special advocate has agreed to be part of the working group overseeing the review. The Minister looks forward to her important contribution in that regard. As part of the preparatory work for the review, a survey questionnaire designed to assess applicants' experience of the payment scheme has been developed. An early draft of that questionnaire was shared with the special advocate for survivors for review. Her feedback and observations were valuable inputs and have been integrated into the questionnaire. Continued engagement with the special advocate is an important means of ensuring the voices of survivors continue to be central, as the Deputy said.