A chairde,

Almost 40 percent, or 24,000 survivors have been left behind by the government’s Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. It is estimated that 58,208 mothers and children passed through one of Ireland’s Mother and Baby homes. This is the total number of people Sinn Féin would support in our proposed amendment to the government’s redress scheme. The current discriminatory payment structure and hierarchy of suffering does a great disservice to so many courageous women and men who have to so many courageous women and men who have fought for so long to have their voices heard, and their egregious human rights abuses recognised and compensated.

Sinn Féin priorities include:

– Urgently introducing disregard legislation based on the recommendations of the Final Report of the Department of Justice Working Group on Disregard Legislation

Drafting legislation to implement the findings of the Offences Against the State Act review

– Establishing judicial inquiries into cases such as Shane O’Farrell, Sallins and Terence Wheelock

– Issuing a state apology to the family of Captain James Kelly

– Legislate to allow for solicitors to assist with Enduring Powers of Attorney applications to the Decision Support Service.

– Include excluded 24,000 survivors (0-6 months babies) in Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme

Le meas,

Joanne Collins