Abuse victims champion to get new hearing from missing MLAs

An evidence session by the commissioner for historic institutional abuse victims, given to Stormont’s Executive Office committee on Wednesday evening, had to be cut short because so few MLAs were in attendance.

The collapsed meeting is now set to be reconvened at 11am today, when politicians will be given another chance to hear from commissioner Fiona Ryan.

Margaret McGuckin, who was abused in the Sisters of Nazareth orphanage and heads up the campaign group SAVIA (Survivors And Victims of Institutional Abuse), told the News Letter yesterday: “They [MLAs] don’t really care and it showed.

“It was humiliating. It was a rejection and it showed them for what they really are.

“It doesn’t seem like they have any empathy or anything towards us.”

Victims and survivors fought for decades for an investigation into their abuse in children’s homes and other residential institutions.

In 2017, a public inquiry found the historic abuse was “widespread” and made a series of recommendations, including compensation and an apology. While a redress scheme has now been set up – following years-long delays – victims are still waiting for the apology recommended five years ago by the late inquiry chairman Sir Anthony Hart.

The long-awaited apology was one of the topics Wednesday’s briefing was focused on.

Ms McGuckin said: “All we want is an end to this with an apology in January, as a mark of respect to Sir Anthony Hart.”

The meeting collapsed on Wednesday because with just the SDLP chair Sinead McLaughlin, the DUP’s Christopher Stalford and Sinn Fein’s Emma Sheerin present, following the departure of Sinn Fein’s Padraig Delargy there weren’t enough MLAs for a ‘quorum’.

Ms McGuckin said the deputy chair, UUP MLA John Stewart, had been in touch to apologise for missing the briefing through illness.

A DUP spokesman said: “We are glad the committee session has been reconvened. Our two members were in attendance at the meeting. One had to leave temporarily due to a matter beyond their control. They did plan to rejoin the meeting but at that stage the committee had halted due to quorum loss.”

A Sinn Fein spokesperson said: “Pat Sheehan attended the meeting but he stated at the start he would have to leave early and gave apologies.

“Padraig Delargy attended the meeting but, during the meeting he took ill and had to leave immediately. He has subsequently had to rearrange all other appointments.”