The Government is facing growing pressure to explain why it continues to demand €26.2 million from the Legion of Mary to contribute to the Mother and Baby Homes redress scheme. The Department of Children is sticking to its position despite the assets of the Legion being worth less than 10% of this and key findings advising against the action.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, former Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD criticised the Government’s stance, saying: “It is essential that all organisations and parties who have been found to be responsible for abuse and/or inhumane treatment of mothers and babies make a very significant contribution to the redress scheme.
“I fail to see however why the department views the Legion of Mary/Regina Coeli as a relevant organisation when neither the Commission of Investigation nor the independent negotiator found against them or recommended that they should contribute to redress, from what I consider in any case to be their very limited means.”
The Regina Coeli Hostel in Dublin, run by the Legion of Mary from 1930 to 1998, was included in the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. However, the commission found Regina Coeli to be unique among the 18 institutions examined. It operated not as a mother and baby home, but as a hostel offering shelter to homeless women, including unmarried mothers, women struggling with addiction, mental illness, or poverty.
Unlike most institutions of the time, mothers were allowed to stay with their children. Records show that between the 1930s and 1980s, the percentage of mothers who kept their babies rose from under 30% to over 87%.
Despite the commission’s report stating that “redress does not arise” for Regina Coeli, the Government has continued to seek a contribution from the Legion of Mary.
Mr Ó Fearghaíl had earlier submitted a parliamentary question to the now Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Norma Foley, asking the Department about its position. The Department responded that while Regina Coeli was included in the institutions investigated by the Commission, and therefore under the remit of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, no specific legal action had been taken but “potential legal options” were being explored.
The Department stated that all relevant organisations were invited to contribute voluntarily in a spirit of “collective responsibility”.
In response to direct questions from The Irish Catholic, the department reiterated that the scheme provides redress to any individual who spent time in the institutions investigated, whether they were accompanied by their mother or not. They did not clarify how this aligns with the commission’s findings regarding Regina Coeli.
The department stated that regarding the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, “the then Minister commenced a process of engagement with religious organisations with a view to securing voluntary financial contributions to the cost of the payment scheme. The process of seeking a voluntary contribution from relevant organisations was undertaken by the Independent Negotiator, Sheila Nunan.
“Departmental officials have liaised with the Office of the Attorney General and will continue to engage with them on any potential legal options which may be available to the State. This complex work will require detailed consideration and may take some time to complete. In addition, the broader impacts and implications of any potential options identified will have to be considered.”
It has been reported the legal options could potentially include seizing assets and freezing bank accounts.
In August 2023 discussions, the Legion of Mary warned the then-Minister Roderic O’Gorman that a payment of €26.2 million would jeopardise its ongoing homelessness services and breach charity law.
