​Proposals for victims and survivors of mother and baby institutions described as 'kick in the teeth'

Concern has been expressed that “huge swathes” of potential applicants to a long awaited redress scheme are set to be excluded.

More than 14,000 women and girls are thought to have passed through the institutions, with many found to have been mistreated, held against their will and forced to give up children for adoption.

They were run by the Catholic Church, religious orders, some Protestant denominations as well as the state, with some in operation until 1995.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly on Monday introduced legislation to establish an inquiry into the institutions and an associated redress scheme.

Ms O'Neill said they hope the legislation “demonstrates our sincere commitment to respecting and fulfilling the wishes of those who for many decades have suffered and been silenced”.

The Executive Bill is to establish a statutory public inquiry and a statutory redress scheme at an estimated cost of £80 million, which includes almost £60 million in initial redress payments to cover about 6,600 claims.

Each eligible claimant is to receive a payment of £10,000, and a £2,000 payment will be made to each eligible family member on behalf of a loved one who has died since September 29, 2011.

A further Individually Assessed Payment (IAP) for the specific harm suffered by an individual is to follow the public inquiry.

The ministers also met with survivors of the institutions on Monday.

However some who attended the meeting expressed concern over those who are excluded by the proposals.

The legal firm KRW Law, which represents many of the victims and survivors, described “huge disquiet over the prospective exclusion of many survivors”.

They said the cut-off for posthumous claims for deceased birth mothers and children of 2011 “cuts out a huge swathe of prospective applicants”, while victims of work houses appear to be excluded, and the “blanket removal” of foster care home survivors.

There is also concern around the limit on the sum proposed by way of interim payment with no allowance for inflation.

Solicitor Aine Rice, of KRW's historic abuse team, said they reject the current proposals as “unfit for purpose”.

She said: “So much work has been put in by many people to get to this stage only for it to be undone in one fell swoop.

“There's an insensitivity underpinning all of this which makes it galling.

“We reject the current proposals as unfit for purpose. More, much more, needs done to address the imbalance in play here. We need to see a complete U-turn by the time we reach the next stage of the bill, but time is running out fast.”

Institution survivor Marie Arbuckle said the latest proposals are a “kick in the teeth for many survivors”.

She added: “It seems to me that the government hasn't listened to us properly at all.

“Why do a consultation in the first place if the wishes and hopes of survivors aren't taken on board?

“I don't think lessons have been learned from what happened in the south of Ireland.

“The understandable drive to save money has simply gone too far, and all at the expense of the wishes of victims. We have lost all confidence in the process we worked so hard on for the last three years.”