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SINN FÉIN’S MARY Lou McDonald is calling on the Minister for Justice and Equality to make a public statement on the delay in issuing redress payments and promised supports to the surviving women of the Magdalene Laundries.
She said that over eight months have now passed since the Taoiseach apologised to the surviving women of the Magdalene Laundries, but that not a single redress payment has been made.
Supports
“In fact none of the vital supports provided for in Mr Justice Quirke’s report have been delivered on,” she said, adding, every week she receives receives phone calls from surviving women “desperately upset and confused” by the government’s failure to provide the redress and supports promised months ago.
She stated:
This failure is set against the government’s recent denial of widespread brutality and forced detention in the Laundries in response to very serious concerns raised by the United Nations Committee Against Torture with the state.Minister Shatter is hiding behind yet another report that he says has yet to be signed off on by cabinet. For these elderly women who were so badly treated under the states watch, as recognised by the Taoiseach earlier this year, time is ticking. We know of at least two women who have since passed away and others who are living in very poor circumstances.
Earlier this month, Magdalene Survivors Together called on the Irish Government to begin the process of paying out the compensation to the Magdalene women immediately and without further delay.
Redress scheme
However, the Department of Justice told TheJournal.ie that after the government approved the compensation scheme, it tasked an interdepartmental group with considering the steps necessary to implement the other recommendations, stating that some of these other recommendations “are complicated and will require legislation”.
Steven O’ Riordan, director of Magdalene Survivors Together, said that since the State apology to the Magdalene women in February of this year, the group has seen two of its members pass away without getting their full entitlement and called it a disgrace.
O’ Riordan described it as “a disgrace” that the Government has not started the process of paying these women compensation.
McDonald was also critical of the report into the Magdelene Laundries, stating that it was not comprehensive enough.
Investigation
“Just this week the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva added its name to the call for an independent investigation into the treatment of women held in the Magdalene laundries,” she said.
She added: “The Minister for Justice and Equality needs to make a public statement on the current delay in progressing the promised redress scheme, and he also needs to give a firm commitment as to when the women will start receiving their payments and supports as provided for in the Quirke recommendations.”
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Do the honourable thing and give the poor women solace. Time is running out..this is such a disgrace and embarrassment for our country. Pay up!
I can relate to how hard those poor women would have worked. I knew some of them. It is a disgrace the way they are being treated. It should be one of the Governments top Priorities to see that they get what they should have got a long time ago. Many of them are now in their twilight years so before it is to late. HOPE GOVERNMENT GETS ON TOP OF IT.
Pity they are not bondholders.they would have been paid straight away..disgrace absolute disgrace
The cheques could be in the post, just in time for xmas.
The sooner this shower and their labour props are removed the better
Asking Shatter or any minister to make a 100% solid committment to something with dates and no cop out. About as much chance as a snowball surviving in hell.
Government want to delay, then when there’s only a couple of survivors left – payout with platitudes and hand wringing about the delay.
The missing word this is deliberate as any following government will do the same.
Should be the church paying anyway, they made on the laundries, didn’t pat PRSI, paid holidays, went into unfair competition against their own parishioners, but that debate has already died its death.
Minister Shatter is our paid servant, is he not?
What it appears to people outside Eire is that women were and still are treated as second class human beings.
Delaying and causing stress is also a crime and one of the aspects of auto genocide.
That will go down well in our Her Story books.
They are waiting on the LPT to come in to pay for it
How much time do you need to sort it out If it was for ministers benefit would have been dealt with ages ago.
Women are dying which is very unfair give them a Christmas present,
have your say