Mother and baby payments to UK survivors to be excluded from means test

The Irish and UK governments jointly announced the measure on Friday following a sustained campaign for an extension to the UK of the disregard which is already in place in Ireland.

Liam Conlon MP had proposed legislation on the matter in Westminster, which was dubbed “Philomena’s law” in honour of mother and baby home survivor Philomena Lee.

He campaigned alongside the charity Irish in Britain and won support from over 100 MPs and peers as well as public figures including Siobhán McSweeney, Dara Ó Briain, Emma Dabiri and Steve Coogan.

In a joint statement on Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We acknowledge the suffering of those who spent time in mother and baby homes during the 20th century.

“In recognition of the lifelong impact of this, today the UK agrees to disregard payments under Ireland’s mother and baby redress scheme, ensuring that survivors in both countries are treated the same and can receive the compensation to which they are rightly entitled.

“We also welcome Ireland’s agreement in principle to disregard means for compensation payments from UK schemes.”

In a statement welcoming the announcement, Ireland’s children, disability and equality minister, Norma Foley, acknowledged that “some survivors of mother and baby institutions living in the UK, and eligible for the scheme, were potentially facing lower benefits if they accepted an award from the scheme”.

To date there have been some 770 applications from UK survivors to the scheme, some 580 of which have received an offer of an award.

Ms Foley said: “I want to thank An Taoiseach and colleagues across government for their efforts and steadfast support. I would also like to express gratitude to prime minister Starmer and the UK government for their co-operation and commitment to ensuring these survivors have their voices heard.

“A special tribute is also due to Liam Conlon MP, whom I have met and engaged with in relation to his enormously helpful ‘Philomena’s law’ in Westminster. This piece of draft legislation has amplified and helped advance this important issue. I am immensely grateful to Liam for his unwavering support for survivors living across the UK.”

Mr Conlon said: “I’m delighted the prime minister has announced the government’s support for Philomena’s law, helping to deliver long-awaited justice for nearly 13,000 survivors in Britain.

“I’m proud to have led this campaign, working with Irish community organisations right across the country, and so many survivors who came forward with courage and determination.”