Most vulnerable Magdalene survivors to be compensated

Over 500 women received lump sums of up to €100,000 over the past year, providing they had the capacity to apply.

Around 40 Magdalene Laundry survivors with intellectual disabilities are finally going to be paid compensation thanks to the passage of new legislation.

Although more than 500 women received lump sums of up to €100,000 over the past year, it was not possible for compensation to be given to those who lacked the capacity to apply to the scheme.

But the long-awaited Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill passed by the Dáil will allow this to happen.

It will provide for Magdalene Laundry survivors with capacity issues to have a person appointed by a court apply for compensation on their behalf, or to appoint a supporter to help them do so. An estimated 10,000 women did unpaid manual labour in the country’s ten such laundries between 1922 and 1996.

Fine Gael TD David Stanton, who chaired the justice committee hearings into the bill, said it would change the way the courts deal with people with capacity issues.

“It’s a major change in thinking. It will be a challenge to the judicial system and to families,” he said.

The paving of the way for compensation to be paid to the final Magdalene Laundry survivors has been welcomed by the London-based Irish Women Survivors Support Network (IWSSN).

IWSSN policy adviser Charlotte Gerada said the network was very keen that the benefits of the compensation go to the 40 survivors with capacity issues “and not to opportunistic legal firms”.

She said very few of the 79 women that her organisation had helped to apply to the scheme had hired a lawyer.

“Whilst most lawyers have accepted the non-adversarial, straightforward application process, there are a few who continue to see the scheme as an opportunity to generate income – putting it politely,” she said.

The government provided a €250,000 grant to the IWSSN, which helped it to set up a dedicated “Whispering Hope” centre for Magdalene Laundry survivors in London.

So far, around 500 such survivors have received lump sums worth around €18 million in total under the scheme set up by the government. More than 100 of them are based in Britain.