I propose to take Questions Nos. 3060, 3076 and 3078 together.
The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme provides payments and health benefits to people who spent time in any of the Mother and Baby or County Home Institutions that were identified by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation. These were institutions identified as having a main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children. The institutions covered by the Payment Scheme are set out in the underpinning legislation for the Scheme.
Chapter 2 of the Social History section of the Commission of Investigation report - www.gov.ie/en/publication/89e43-chapter-2-institutions/ - details the different types of institutions that existed and whether they could be considered Mother and Baby Institutions. Temple Hill, Blackrock is referred to as being “frequently wrongly described as a mother and baby home. It was an infants’ nursery and mothers were not resident there. As a hospital, it received funding from the Hospitals Commission.” Temple Hill did not provide ante and post-natal facilities, and therefore it is not included in the Scheme.
There are currently legal proceedings - under appeal based on the advice of the Attorney General - that seek the inclusion of Temple Hill into the Scheme. These proceedings are expected to be heard in December.
I acknowledge that some survivors are not eligible for the Scheme and are very disappointed by this. However, it should be noted that the Payment Scheme is just one of a large suite of actions being undertaken to respond to the legacy of these institutions under the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions.
The overwhelming priority need which has been expressed by survivors has been access to records. To date, under the Birth Information and Tracing Act, the Adoption Authority of Ireland and Tusla have completed more than 18,200 applications for information. All applications are processed in accordance with statutory timeframes.
All survivors also have access to the advocacy support of the Special Advocate for Survivors, appointed in March 2024 and counselling support is available for all survivors and former residents regardless of time spent in an institution. This support is in place, is free of charge, and survivors can self-refer or be referred by a medical professional. The development of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance is also well underway.
