Deirdre Malone

The national human rights institution has raised concerns about the eligibility for payments, including a rule requiring claimants to have stayed in an institution for at least six months.

Director Deirdre Malone said: “While we welcome the scheme, we are gravely concerned that some people who were resident in mother and baby institutions or who were boarded out are arbitrarily excluded from redress.

“The scheme must be amended so that all arbitrary criteria, such as the 180-day eligibility rule, does not exclude victims and survivors of relevant institutions from redress.”

The six-month stay requirement has been criticised for effectively excluding children who were adopted, boarded out and fostered, and therefore suffered harm regardless of their short stay in an institution.

There are also concerns about reparations being limited to those resident in institutions which were investigated by the commission of investigation headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy. IHREC has called for consultation with survivors on the list of institutions to be included.

The watchdog has also criticised the eligibility criteria for a work-related payment, recommending that all people who were resident in a relevant institution and who undertook work without pay should be eligible for a work-related payment regardless of the institution they were resident in, the nature of the work, or length of stay.