Opinion
28 Jan 26

State to Issue Formal Apology to survivor advocates of Industrial School Abuse

Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme launch at Project Arts Centre. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Sophie Gliott

The Government has approved a package of additional measures for survivors, including improved access to healthcare, education and housing supports.

The Government has agreed to issue a formal State apology to survivor advocates of abuse in Ireland’s industrial and reformatory schools, following decades of campaigning and a 51-day hunger strike that ended last November.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will deliver the apology in the Dáil on behalf of the Government, after consultation with Attorney General Rossa Fanning. The apology is intended to build on the 1999 State apology for institutional abuse and reflect elements of the 2021 apology to survivors of mother-and-baby homes, while also addressing issues related to criminal records arising from time spent in institutions.

The move follows mediation talks with survivor advocates who had protested outside Leinster House over the lack of adequate State support. Alongside the apology, the Government has approved a package of additional measures for survivors, including improved access to healthcare, education, housing supports and assistance with funeral costs.

Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse (SRIA) member Mary Donovan spoke to The Journal, explaining the request for a pension as recognition for the unpaid labor many survivors performed as children in institutions or while boarded out. She emphasized that many survivors suffer from health issues, and this financial support would allow them to "manage their own affairs" and achieve a "better quality of life before they die."

While some supports were introduced in 2023, these did not include pension-type payments or health access cards, both of which survivor advocates say are essential to address long-term physical and mental health issues linked to abuse, forced labour and trauma.

Survivor advocates have welcomed the commitment to a formal apology but continue to call for parity with supports provided to survivors advocates of Magdalene Laundries and mother-and-baby homes.

The State has already paid approximately €1 billion in compensation through the Residential Institutions Redress Board, with a further €98 million contributed by religious orders.