Special Advocate calls for dialogue as Industrial School Survivors commence Hunger Strike

22 September 2025

The Special Advocate stated:  

“Survivors of institutions should not have to resort to this extreme action in order to receive proper state supports”

The Special Advocate has been vocal throughout the passage of the Supports for Survivors of Residential Abuse legislation that it is not fit for purpose.
 

• All Survivors and Affected Persons who were abused while resident in industrial school or reformatories and other institutions subject to state regulation or inspection should be included in the provision of services and supports under this recently passed legislation. These supports should not be limited to only those who previously received redress under the Residential Institutions Redress Act.
• Health and Housing supports in the Act are not adequate for the needs of Survivors and Affected Persons. Survivors and Affected Persons can be particularly marginalised and vulnerable in their health and housing status.
• The Special Advocate supports Survivors who are calling for the Health Amendment Act (HAA) card which gives people access to more supports and services than the ‘enhanced’ medical card and included this as a recommendation in her first Annual Report, published earlier this year. 
• Medical supports for Survivors and Affected Persons must include enhanced health and caring supports, especially to ensure they can stay living at home and are not re-institutionalised in later life. The supports for overseas Survivors must also be significantly increased.
• The Special Advocate calls for Survivors and Affected Persons to be given additional weighting and enhanced priority for social housing on local authority and housing body waiting lists.
• The Special Advocate also supports Survivors and Affected Persons who have called for access to a shared Memorialisation fund to allow applications from Survivors and Survivor groups wishing to create local memorials and organise Survivor groups to gather.

Recommendations

It is unfair and exclusionary to further discriminate against Survivors of Residential Abuse who, through no fault of their own were unable to apply or who were unaware of previous redress schemes. The exclusion of any Survivor from the support provisions outlined in the Act further enforces the lack of justice for all Survivors.

Ms Carey recently met with the Survivor group in Limerick along with Department of Education officials. She is calling for further meetings to explore an agreement to end the hunger strike.

Comment

For interviews / comment please contact:
Patricia Carey, Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse

info@specialadvocate.ie

Phone: +353 (0)1 511 7660

ENDS