Royal Assent on mother and baby homes Bill expected to be granted this summer

Royal Assent is expected to be granted on the mother and baby homes Bill this summer.

The passing of the legislation will allow the opening of a public inquiry into the former institutions in Northern Ireland, as well as a redress scheme for victims and survivors.

More than 14,000 women and girls are thought to have passed through institutions, which were run by the Catholic Church, religious orders, some Protestant denominations, and the state.

Many were found to have been mistreated, held against their will and forced to give up their children for adoption.

The Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill has reached the consideration stage in the Northern Ireland Assembly process.

A payment of £10,000 is proposed to be made to eligible claimants and a £2,000 payment to eligible family members on behalf of a loved one who has died since September 29 2011.

There have been calls for it to be doubled to £20,000.

There has also been criticism of the timeframes for eligibility to apply for redress, with a call to extend the timescale to include those admitted from 1922 onwards.

Asked for an update during Executive Office questions, Junior Minister Joanne Bunting said they aim to complete all the stages before the summer recess, and anticipate Royal Assent “during the summer months”.

She also said that preparatory work on the necessary secondary legislation is “progressing well”.

“We plan to consult on these shortly after the final vote, with the intention of opening the redress scheme before the end of the year, and this will represent another important set of milestones to provide victims and survivors with truth and acknowledgement,” she said.

Ms Bunting said the inquiry will open “as soon as possible” after the relevant primary and secondary legislation comes into force.

“Victims and survivors have been at the heart of this process from the very beginning,” she said.

“There will be consultation following the final passage of this Bill on the next steps and around the statutory the rules of the inquiry, to ensure that the concerns that victims and survivors have will be addressed and also that they are heard and listened to by the consultative forums.”

Asked about progress on the redress scheme, Ms Bunting said the intention is to launch the redress service later this year, subject to the passage of the legislation.

“In the interim, a shadow redress service has been established within the Department of Justice,” she said.

“This team includes officials with experience from other redress schemes who bring valuable expertise and working in a trauma-informed way.

“The current work is centred on developing the IT system, progressing staff recruitment and developing the support model so that everything is ready to go.”

She said work is also ongoing in terms of access to records.

“We’re aware that many have faced real obstacles and difficulties in trying to understand or trace their family history,” she said.

“Work has been ongoing to improve that experience and make those processes as straightforward and actually supportive as possible.

“Applicants to the scheme will have practical support from the Victims and Survivors Service, Wave and Adopt NI, to help them navigate what can be a difficult and emotional process.

“We’re also working closely with the Public Records Office in Northern Ireland on digitising records, and with the trusts and Department of Health on managing any resourcing pressures so that resources can be created and provided as efficiently as possible.”