THE SDLP’s Sinéad McLaughin has said the Executive Office cannot be allowed to repeat the mistakes of the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) process with mother and baby homes.
The Executive Office Committee chair was speaking after a public inquiry and other measures recommended by the Truth Recovery Design Panel were announced.
Said the Foyle MLA: “My thoughts are with victims and survivors of these horrific institutions who are hopefully finally at the beginning of the end of a very long road.
“While the Joint First Ministers’ announcement is welcome I still have a number of serious concerns about how the recommendations of the Truth Recovery Design Panel will be delivered.
“We have repeatedly seen in the past how the Executive Office and Joint First Ministers have struggled with delivery and there can be no delay on an issue of this importance.
“Nearly five years on from the Hart report, victims of historic institutional abuse in children’s homes are still waiting for payments, an apology and a memorial and this cannot be the case for survivors of mother and baby homes.
“Both of these matters must be expediated as a matter of the utmost importance.
“In both cases the institutions responsible for this abuse must be compelled to fit the bill and compensate victims, they have been guilty of the worst abuses imaginable against vulnerable people and cannot expect others to pick up the pieces.
“I am also concerned that the legislation to establish the public inquiry cannot be introduced in this mandate.
“The survivors of mother and baby homes have waited long enough and shouldn’t have to wait a day longer if something can be done.
“Our institutions are currently under threat and with parties unwilling to say if they will assume office depending on the election result, I fear mother-and-baby home survivors could become the latest casualties of the dysfunction that rules this place.”
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