Mother-and-baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses: Public Consultation on a Statutory Inquiry and Redress Schemes

Part of Ministerial Statements – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 11:00 am on 25 June 2024.

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Photo of Emma Little-Pengelly Emma Little-Pengelly DUP 11:00, 25 June 2024

I thank the Member for his question. There will be a twin-track approach to the schemes, with the process for standardised payments to roll out at the same time as the substantive inquiry. That may be an unusual approach, but it is very much based on our experience of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry. In that case, the inquiry came first, and a huge amount of valuable work was done during it, but it took years, and we are conscious that the victims and survivors have needs right now. That made its way into considerations of the issue and the recommendation, which was accepted, that a standardised payment should be rolled out at the same time as the inquiry, with a second stage — an individualised payment — after completion of the inquiry process. That would be consulted on, and the initial legislation would make provision for it, with the aim of rolling out the standardised payment at the same time as the public inquiry is established and carries out its work.