The Social Democrats have called for the criteria of the Mothers and Baby Homes redress scheme to be widened. 

The initiative is expected to cost the Government €800 million and 34,000 survivors are expected to benefit from it.

Minister Roderic O’Gorman has described it as “the largest scheme of its type in the history of the State” and said it “represents a significant milestone in the State's acknowledgement of its past failures”. 

All mothers are entitled to compensation; however, only those children who spent six or more months in a Mother and Baby Home are entitled to redress. 

Holly Cairns TD says that in its current form the compensation scheme is simply indefensible. 

“This redress scheme really just amounts to the latest cover up about these institutions,” she told Newstalk. 

“I don’t know how the minister will defend something like this six month rule.” 

The grounds where the unmarked mass grave containing the remains of nearly 800 infants who died at the Bon Secours mother-and-baby home in Tuam Co Galway. Photo: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

An estimated 24,000 people will miss out on compensation and Ms Cairns said that Mother and Baby Homes traumatised people who spent far less than six months in one. 

“The number one finding from that report [into Mother and Baby Homes] was that forced family separation, losing the child and mother bond was the thing that caused the most suffering and harm,” she continued. 

“And the list went on; it listed other things like dehumanising treatment, incarceration, forced labour and quite far down the list is the criteria of time spent in [an] institution. 

“So the minister carried out a report [and] ignored the findings of it”.

Main image: Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns on the Plinth at Leinster House. Picture by: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews