Press Release:
Religious Orders Once Again Fail Survivors

Publication of report on Negotiations with Religious Organisations associated with Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.

Press Release

• Religious Orders once again fail Survivors 
• Derisory offer of compensation put forward by three religious orders towards Mother and Baby Institutions redress an insult to Survivors  
• Disgraceful lack of engagement by other religious orders in negotiation process 
• The Special Advocate calls on religious orders to reflect on their moral and ethical duty, and to release funds for redress as well as handing over all records related to institutions into the care of the State 

On the release of the Final Report on negotiations between religious orders and Government over contributions to Mother and Baby Institutions redress prepared by Ms Sheila Nunan today, the Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse expresses deep disappointment at the completely inadequate contributions offered by religious orders towards redress for Survivors of Mother and Baby Institutions.    

Patricia Carey, the Special Advocate for Survivors said; 

“This is yet another example of religious orders refusing to take responsibility for their actions and the harm caused to those who spent time in mother and baby and county home institutions” 

The Special Advocate notes that many Survivors will be upset and angry at the continued lack of accountability demonstrated by religious orders as evidenced by these paltry offers of contribution to redress.  

Based on the EY report, religious orders have net assets of over 1.3 Billion euro.  

The three meagre offers of compensation from religious orders consisting of one offer of 12.9 million, an offer to transfer property to the State, and a derisory offer of a ‘charitable contribution’ of 75,000 euro, are egregious. Furthermore, it is not up to the religious orders to make decisions on how compensation is spent.  

She said; 

“The remaining religious orders not offering any contribution to redress for Mother and Baby Home Survivors is disgraceful. To add insult to injury, the decision of some religious orders to refuse to even participate in the negotiation process led by Ms Nunan is shocking”  

The report issued today gives little comfort to those Survivors who have already received meagre redress as part of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, where average payments are only 15,000 euro.  

Many thousands are excluded from the redress scheme, the Special Advocate said: 

“24,000 children who spent less than 6 months in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution, along with thousands of others who spent time in institutions not included in the payment scheme, such as Temple Hill, Westbank Orphanage and those children ‘boarded out’ to work on farms and in houses as unpaid servants” 

Since starting her work as Special Advocate for Survivors in March 2024, Patricia has heard from over 1200 Survivors and Affected Persons living in Ireland and overseas. Access to records and exclusions from redress have been raised as the two most common concerns expressed by Survivors with the Special Advocate. 

Religious orders have not to date handed over records from the institutions, including personal records and financial and administrative records, they are now refusing to part fund the less than adequate redress scheme. 

The Special Advocate calls on religious orders to release funds and all records related to institutions into the care of the State.  

ENDS