Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of payments that have been made under the mother and baby institutions payment scheme; if he is concerned at the time it is taking to process applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38967/24]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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What is the specific number of payments, not the number being processed, that have been made to survivors of the mother and baby homes under the payment scheme?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The mother and baby institutions payment scheme opened for applications in March this year. As of 30 September, more than 5,160 applications had been received. There are 4,540 fully completed applications that have proceeded into the processing system. The payment scheme office is supporting the remainder, namely, those applicants with incomplete applications who need to provide some further information.

Just under 3,200 notices of determination have been issued to applicants, over 81% of which contain an offer of benefits under the scheme. Applicants then have six months to consider their offer before they need to respond to the payment office. Just over 1,750 payments are either processed and completed or in the process of being made, and the total amount paid out under the redress scheme to date is €27,440,500.

All information on the scheme and how to apply can be found at the dedicated payment scheme website, which includes a booklet, questions and answers, and a how-to video. A helpline is also available. Overall, we have received positive feedback that applicants are finding the application process straightforward and the information line helpful.

I have authorised the next phase of the public awareness campaign about the scheme to commence later this month. There was an initial phase in March to June, which took place in Ireland, the UK, the USA and Australia across a range of different mediums.

There have been a number of instances of delays, of which the Deputy raised some. These delays can emerge for different reasons, for instance, if the payment scheme office has to contact applicants to seek further information or if there are issues in the verification of application details. In such cases, the payment scheme office engages with the applicant to resolve those difficulties so the applications can be processed as quickly as possible. Each and every application is being handled on an individual basis to ensure thorough and accurate processing. Depending on the nature of the case, the response timeline can vary.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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It is welcome that just under 1,800 payments are in the process of being made or have been made. However, the fact that 34,000 survivors are eligible to apply for the scheme shows the need for the public awareness campaign. People who are entitled to this payment and can apply for it clearly have not done so, for whatever reason. We need to make sure the process is as easy and straightforward as possible.

I know of two cases to date where the person who applied passed away while waiting for their payment. People who applied in March are still waiting. The thousands of applications that have been received need to be gone through as quickly as possible to make sure we get supports to these survivors as quickly as possible. A number of people who have contact me have said the communication has not been great. They have not been given any timeline as to when they will get the notice of determination and when they will be paid. Everything related to the scheme needs to be looked at to make sure it is working ahead of the public awareness campaign.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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If there are specific instances that the Deputy wants to draw to my attention - many Deputies have been involved in this area - I will be happy to examine them, as I am always happy to do. We want to make this scheme work as quickly as possible.

The scheme has been up and running for seven months now.

Some 1,800 people have already received payments and, as I said, over €27 million has already been paid out to applicants within seven months of the establishment of the scheme. The Deputy is right that there have been 5,000 applications so far. We made a decision to pace the public information campaign and to put it out piece by piece, recognising that there may be some people who are uncomfortable about applying initially. We want to ensure that awareness gets out there and that the awareness is international because we recognise there is a high likelihood that a substantial number of the potential beneficiaries of the scheme do not live in Ireland and that following their time in these institutions, they moved to other jurisdictions. We are working closely with embassies and Irish groups in other countries to consider how best to communicate the information.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. He has acknowledged the delays and such is the nature of applications. There are sometimes delays where additional information is needed or the applications need to be looked at again. How many people are dealing with the processing and issuing of these payments?

I was recently contacted by a survivor who had received a letter to state they would be given the enhanced medical card. The letter included a full list of what the survivor could access in home care and other supports. The person contacted me to ask how to access those supports with the enhanced medical card. I rang the medical card division which asked me to contact representatives of the payments scheme. Those representatives told me to contact the medical card division. Neither could give me the information, one way or another. I know that individuals have been put in place by the HSE to act as a support and engage with people, which is welcome. However, we need to put their contact details on the letters that are issued to people so they know who to contact and are not ringing from one to the other looking for the information.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy. She has spoken about an enhancement to the roll-out of the scheme that has been put in place. It is important to recognise that we are looking to make this scheme as easy as possible for people to get the initial award of a payment, a medical card or both, and to draw down the benefit. The Deputy identified a slight lacuna. A resource is being put in place to address the issue. I hope that will be evidence to the Deputy and to others that we are learning and always looking to design the scheme as effectively as possible.

There is a unit in my Department with oversight of the overall application of the scheme. There is a separate unit doing the day-to-day work of processing. I will come back to the Deputy with the exact figures, if that would be useful. As she knows, there is an appeals process. Where an application for the scheme is unsuccessful, the person concerned is entitled within six months of the notice of the termination of the scheme to make an appeal. That works within statutory timelines.