A hunger strike by survivors of industrial and reformatory schools, which had been under way for nearly eight weeks outside Leinster House, has been called off on foot of proposals tabled by the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and other members of the Government.
Maurice O’Connell from Co Kerry, who had been on hunger strike for 51 days, said on Tuesday that he was very happy with the package put forward by the Taoiseach at a meeting of the group on Monday.
“We are getting two apologies from the State, with criminal records being wiped clean,” he told The Irish Times.
Mr O’Connell said a number of issues remained to be discussed with a mediator.
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The Government, in its proposals on Monday, said it would provide financial assistance, priority access for social housing and a range of healthcare supports to survivors of residential abuse in industrial schools.
It is understood that Mr Martin also said he was very concerned about their wellbeing and urged the group who had been on hunger strike outside Leinster House to end their protest and access medical treatment.
Earlier on Monday Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald urged the Taoiseach to find a resolution to the issue before the health of those involved in the protest worsened.
“For the last 51 days, four survivors of residential abuse in industrial schools, Miriam Moriarty Owens, Mary Donovan, Mary Dunlevy Greene and Maurice Patton O’Connell, have been on a hunger strike protest outside Leinster House. Concerns are growing by the day as their health deteriorates.”
It is understood that the Government’s view was that the provision of a contributory State pension which had been sought by the campaigners would be “complex”.
However, Government proposals involved the provision of top-up grants, among possible other measures, which it believed could be more readily available.
The Government also said it would look at the provision of a series of healthcare supports including GP services, home nursing and home helps as well as chiropody and podiatry services. There would also be new health liaison officers specifically for industrial and reformatory school survivors.
Under the Government’s proposals local authorities would be instructed that survivors of industrial and reformatory schools should be prioritised for social housing needs.
The Department of Social Protection would also provide financial assistance and community welfare officers would be directed to give specific consideration to survivors of residential institutions for funeral costs.
The Government also said it would state publicly that nobody had a criminal record as a result of having been in an industrial and reformatory school. If required, the State would provide an official certificate setting out that the person concerned was not regarded as a criminal and that no criminal conviction is recorded against him or her as a result of being detained in an industrial or reformatory school.
The Government is also looking at issuing an apology to those who were boarded out from industrial and reformatory schools.
Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry Michael Cahill, who had worked with the group protesting outside Leinster House, said: “All I pray is that nobody involved in this hunger strike protest suffers any lasting effects of the ordeal and that they are now looked after in a human and dignified way, following the package presented to them through the good offices of our Taoiseach.
“I wish to pay tribute to those who are the survivors of a terrible trauma during their childhood in industrial schools, but I am so relieved that this ordeal is now over for them as, frankly, I was extremely worried that we were going to arrive at an impasse that could have cost lives,” he said.
