Magdalene Group Criticises Compensation Bill

By Conor Ryan
Irish Examiner
August 9, 2014

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/magdalene-group-criticises-compensation-bill-278979.html


Justice for Magdalenes has strongly criticised draft legislation that deals with the entitlements of those given compensation for their suffering in the laundries.

JFM said the heads of bill fell far short of what had been recommended to the Government and limited the key medical entitlements that were supposed to be available.

The draft bill allows for a certain level of free medical care to those who receive ex-gratia payments.

However, the way the benefits are parsed means they are actually more restrictive than the established medical card (HAA) scheme.

“Important services which are missing from the bill include complementary therapies, high-tech drugs, and home support to assist with household tasks,” JFM research said in a statement. “The bill also requires a GP referral for counselling, which is not necessary under the HAA card scheme.”

The provision for free medical care was proposed in the 2013 report by former High Court judge John Quirke and draft legislation was included in an appendix to his work. However, his wording was changed to make the terms more restrictive.

The health benefits package is restricted to women living in Ireland. In June, when the Cabinet approved the draft heads of the bill, the Government indicated that 146 women overseas would have medical insurance paid for. This was not provided for in the draft document published yesterday.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald previously indicated this was not built into the law because separate jurisdictions structure insurance differently. Premiums will be dealt with administratively by the HSE instead. JFM has asked for clarity on what kind of scheme will be put in place to facilitate this.

In excess of 750 women have applied for compensation.