Under new legislation presented in the Dáil, targeted at survivors of institutional abuse, roughly 10,000 individuals are predicted to qualify for expanded health and education aid. The Minister of Education, Norma Foley, highlighted that around a third of the beneficiaries reside abroad. As part of this support package, there will be a special health card, and for those living outside the country, there will be single health support payment of €3,000 to cater to their medical requirements.
Ms Foley made these statements as she put forth the Supports for Survivor of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill. This legislative proposal offers support in areas such as health, education, advocacy, and trauma-responsive practice. She emphasised the profound trauma sufferers endured, recognising that our current actions, although necessary, cannot completely soothe the harm inflicted.
The legislation also provides for the termination of Caranua, the organisation inaugurated to allocate support funds to survivors, catering to health, housing, and education through a dedicated fund of €110 million plus €1.38 million interest. Since 2018, Caranua began cutting back its operations and formally shut down in March 2021, as stated by Ms Foley.
Moreover, educational support funds, ranging from €500 to €2,000, will be granted to survivors seeking education, exempting them from the usual student contribution charges. Additionally, they will qualify for the Susi student grant scheme, among several other forms of assistance.
Sage Advocacy, a non-partisan support organisation assisting senior citizens, vulnerable grown-ups, and patients, will devise and perform a comprehensive communication and outreach plan. This should ensure maximum survivor awareness about both existing and new support, provided under the bill. The Education Department will organise for the relevant service providers to undergo trauma-informed practice training, added Ms Foley.
Sorca Clarke of Sinn Féin questioned whether the proposed legislation offers the “dignity, respect and aid” necessary for survivors, given their experience of systemic abuse, cruelty and neglect. She emphasized that these individuals were further let down by the State, with many recounting poor experiences with previous State reparations efforts, leading to a deep lack of trust in the government.
Clarke noted the Christine Buckley Centre’s important reminder to consider those who did not apply for reparations. She highlighted that many survivors misunderstood the redress period, believing it only concerned cases of sexual abuse, neglecting cases of emotional or physical abuse. Thus, Clarke pressed the Minister to review this aspect of the legislation.
Clarke also communicated the sentiment of numerous survivors who feel the proposed one-time €3,000 payment is inadequate. She advocated for an examination into possibly raising the amount, a perspective strongly backed by Sinn Féin.
Labour’s Aodháin Ó Riordáin criticized the proposal, noting that it “fails to meet the expectations of survivors” and doesn’t align with the committee on education’s pre-legislative scrutiny recommendations. He registered the dissatisfaction among survivors who perceive their concerns as being overlooked and their voices as going unheard.
Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats explained that one survivor confessed the legislation seemed less about providing aid for survivors and more about shutting down Caranua.