Survivors of Ireland’s mother and baby homes face benefit cuts in UK after accepting compensation | Ireland
Survivors in Ireland’s mother and baby homes began to be denied benefits in Britain as they accepted compensation from the Irish government.
The cuts to means-tested survivors’ benefits in Britain come as campaigners, including actors Siobhán McSweeney and Steve Coogan, called on Keir Starmer to support a bill known as Philomena’s Bill, which would cap survivors’ benefits.
Up to 13,000 survivors living in Britain risk losing access to basic means-tested benefits if they accept compensation, which could range from €5,000 to €125,000 (£4,230 to £105,000) depending on the length of time people have been resident.
The Irish government’s compensation scheme was introduced following an investigation detailing the horrific experiences of around 56,000 women and around 57,000 children who were placed in or born in homes mostly run by nuns between 1922 and 1998.
A 2021 report detailed an alarming number of infant deaths in homes and documented cruelty and neglect. Women were forced to work and separated from their foster or adopted babies.
Irish government Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Plan It started paying in 2024. However, as this is considered the recipient’s savings, it could result in the loss of means-tested benefits such as universal credit or pension credit in Britain and could have an impact on financial support for social care.
As feared, municipalities began sending letters to people who received payments informing them that they would lose support such as housing allowance.
Some survivors from the homes decided not to accept offers of compensation for fear of losing their benefits. While after a period of six months this was considered a rejection, some have since died.
A woman in her late 70s who suffered physical and psychological abuse from nuns at a mother and baby home said she was initially overjoyed when her eligibility for the payment was confirmed and hoped to use the money to visit her half-sibling, who was recently discovered in the United States.
However, if he receives payment, he will face the risk of losing his pension loan and housing allowance, which he uses for daily expenses and rent.
“He was born less than 26 miles away, but I had no idea he or his other brothers and sisters existed until we did family tracing,” he said.
“It would have been lovely to meet him, but I don’t think I can use the money for that as my benefits would be affected. The purpose of the payment was for the Irish government to apologize for the misery experienced by institutions but now it has become a rope around my neck.”
A bill known as Philomena’s Bill has been introduced to parliament by Labor MP Liam Conlon and is due for second reading on March 28, but he and others hope the government, which will struggle to find time when time runs out in the current parliament, will support the bill.
“Sometimes the system in Whitehall says no, and this comes about because a general rule is applied. What Whitehall often overlooks is the human dimension picture. In this case, that is the thousands and thousands of survivors of these cruel institutions living in Britain today who have been denied the compensation they deserve,” said Conlon, MP for Beckenham and Penge.
The bill is named after Philomena Lee, whose story of the forced separation of her missing son and subsequent search for him inspired the Oscar-nominated film Philomena, starring Coogan and Judi Dench.
Survivors living in Britain were being forced to relive their most traumatic experiences and faced financial penalties for doing so, according to an open letter to the British and Irish governments. Signatories of the letter include actor Coogan and McSweeney, known for his role in Derry Girls and as the host of the Great Pottery Throwdown, comedian Dara Ó Briain and broadcaster Emma Dabiri.
“We support Philomena’s Law to stand with survivors and ensure that compensation does not bring further hardship,” she says. “This is a practical change that will make a profound difference to the lives of survivors. We are asking the British and Irish governments to find a way to pass Philomena’s Bill.”
While a safeguard approach has been adopted for other compensation schemes in the past, including supporting Windrush families, the bill will mark the first time in history that the same approach has been applied to a foreign compensation scheme.
The Department for Work and Pensions has been approached for comment.
