The first of the Magdalene advocacy groups is to meet Mr Justice John
Quirke on Tuesday to discuss the redress scheme for survivors of
Magdalene Laundries.“We will be having a general meeting with Mr Justice Quirke where he will hear our views, what we are hoping to achieve, and what we are seeking in terms of redress for the survivors. We have already submitted our proposal so we are hoping that from the meeting we will get a good grasp of where the common ground is,” he said.
Mr O’Riordan said he had received 300 calls in the wake of the McAleese report, out of which 60 more survivors have been identified who wish to be included in the redress scheme.
Meanwhile, Justice For Magdalenes (JFM) have sought clarifications on the redress scheme. These include:
- Will Justice Quirke be commissioned to implement the process that he recommends after three months?
- Will the process be transparent and on a statutory footing with independent statutory powers?
- Will there be an appeals process and independent monitoring of the process?
- Will this process be carried out in a fair, fast, accessible, non-adversarial and transparent manner?
- Will Government make available to survivors and their families free independent advice and assistance in relation to this scheme?
- Will the Government meet with JFM to discuss its Restorative Justice and Reparations Scheme, submitted in Oct 2011 and requested by Justice Minister Alan Shatter?
It also raised questions concerning maintenance of Magdalene graves, redress for women outside of Ireland, access to adoption records, and the need for supports and services for survivors.
Sally Mulready of the Irish Women’s Support Network said the group was hoping to meet Mr Justice Quirke “very soon” to discuss the planned package.
Following Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s apology, the Government said it would make €250,000 available to the group for support services for British-based survivors of Magdalene laundries and industrial schools.