Mother-and-baby homes inquiry consultation to begin

In November 2021, the Stormont executive agreed to set up a public inquiry into institutions for unmarried mothers in Northern Ireland.

As well as an inquiry, immediate redress payments to survivors were recommended.

The proposals were published in a report by the Truth Recovery Panel.

A month later, in a move described as “momentous” by survivors, the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to implement all of the panel’s recommendations.

However, several months later, the executive collapsed after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdrew from the power-sharing institutions as part of its boycott over post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Power sharing was only restored in February of this year.

A 10-person, independent panel examining mother-and-baby homes and Magdalene Laundries was set up in April 2023 by Stormont’s Executive Office.

On Tuesday, Ms Little-Pengelly told the assembly that about 300 victims and survivors have came forward, but they expect this number to grow.

Ms O’Neill said “significant progress” has been made so far but that victims, and their families, have waited “for far too long”.

She said the inquiry will establish answers to “three core questions” – what happened, why it happened and who was responsible.

Ms O’Neill added that she hopes to see draft legislation before the end of this year.