A group of survivors has put together plans for a compensation scheme that they will urge the Executive to take up in its programme for government.

The compensation system would be two-tiered, with a “common experience payment” for all former residents of homes where abuse was endemic, and compensation in individual cases.

Margaret McGuckin of Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse (SAVIA) told BBC News: “Abuse victims have waited their whole lives for an acknowledgement from the state for letting us down so badly when we were vulnerable kids.

“Part of that acknowledgement must be redress, to try to make up for what we suffered and what we lost.”

Jon McCourt of Survivors North West added: “Today, victims come together to set out clearly the sort of redress scheme which we want to see put in place.”