Women and children that spent time at Sean Ross mother-and-baby home in Roscrea and other similar homes in Ireland will soon be able to make applications to the Redress Scheme. The home which was run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary opened in 1931 and closed in 1969. During that time, 6,414 women were admitted and 6,079 babies were born there and scans are currently being carried out at the site in Roscrea to determine how many children are buried at Sean Ross.
The legislation underpinning the Redress Scheme is now law following President Michael D Higgins signature of the Bill. Campaigners unhappy with provisions of the law say this development enables them to possibly legally challenge the legislation. These issues include the exclusion of people who spent less than 6 months in one of the homes and the requirement for a person benefiting from the Redress scheme to sign a waiver that they will not take any legal action against any party in respect of their experience in the home. Minister Roderic O’Gorman says it will take a number of months before the scheme can go live for applications.
For those eligible for the scheme it provides a scale of payments ranging from €5,000 for a mother who spent up to 3 months in a home to €65,000 for a person who spent 10 years or longer in a home. If the mother was working in the home there is an additional payment ranging from €1,500 to €60,000 for mother or child working in the home for 10 years or more.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties says the State is legally obliged to provide reparation to all survivors not only those resident in a home for more than 6 months. Legal experts expect that the State will face numerous challenges over the terms of the Redress Scheme.
