Survivors of Irish mother and baby homes have begun to see their benefits cut in Britain because they accepted compensation from the Irish government.
The cuts to means-tested survivors’ benefits in Britain come as campaigners including actors Siobhán McSweeney and Steve Coogan called on Keir Starmer to back a bill known as Philomena’s Law, which would protect survivors’ benefits.
Up to 13,000 survivors living in Britain risk losing access to essential means-tested benefits if they accept compensation, which can range between €5,000 and €125,000 (£4,230-£105,000), depending on how long people live.
The Irish government’s reparations scheme was introduced after an investigation detailed the horrific experiences of around 56,000 women and around 57,000 children who were placed or born in homes, mostly run by nuns, between 1922 and 1998.
A 2021 report detailed an alarming number of infant deaths in the homes and documented cruelty and neglect. Women were forced to work and were separated from their babies, who were fostered or adopted.
The Irish government’s Mother and Baby Institution Payment Scheme began making payments in 2024. But as it is considered the beneficiary’s savings, it may lead to the loss of means-tested benefits in Britain, such as universal credit or pension credit, and have an impact on financial support for social care.
As feared, councils have started sending letters to notify people who received payments that they will lose support such as housing benefit.
Some surviving households have decided not to accept offers of compensation for fear of losing benefits. After a period of six months, this is considered a rejection, although some have already died.
A woman in her 70s, who had suffered physical and psychological abuse at the hands of nuns at a mother and baby home, said she was initially overjoyed when her eligibility for a payment was confirmed and that she hoped to use the money to visit a recently discovered half-brother in the United States.
However, if he received the payment, he would face losing his pension credit and housing benefit, which he relies on to cover his living expenses and rent.
“He was born less than 16 miles away, but I didn’t know he or his other brothers and sisters existed until we did a family trace,” she said.
“It would have been wonderful to meet you, but I don’t think I can use the money for this because my benefits would be affected. The payment was meant to be a token of apology from the Irish government for all the misery of the institutions, but now it has become a noose around my neck.”
A bill known as Filomena’s Law has been introduced in parliament by Labor MP Liam Conlon and is due for a second reading on March 28, but he and others hope the government will back the bill as it will struggle to get time as time runs out in the current parliament.
“Sometimes the Whitehall system says no, and this is because a general rule has been applied. What Whitehall often misses is the human-scale picture. In this case, it is thousands and thousands of survivors of these cruel institutions living in Britain today, who are being denied the compensation to which they are entitled,” said Conlon, MP for Beckenham and Penge.
The bill is named after Philomena Lee, whose story of forced separation and subsequent search for her lost son inspired the Oscar-nominated film Philomena, starring Coogan and Judi Dench.
Survivors living in Britain were forced to relive their most traumatic experiences and faced a financial penalty for doing so, according to an open letter to the British and Irish governments. Signatories to the letter include Coogan and McSweeney, an actress known for her role in Derry Girls and as host of Great Pottery Throwdown, comedian Dara Ó Briain and broadcaster Emma Dabiri.
“We support the Filomena Law to support survivors and help ensure that reparation does not create further hardship,” it reads. “It is a practical change that would make a profound difference to the lives of survivors. We are calling on the British and Irish governments to find a way to pass Philomena’s Law.”
While a safeguarding approach has been taken in the past for other compensation schemes, including support for Windrush families, the Bill would mark the first time in history that the same approach has been applied to a foreign compensation scheme.
The Department for Work and Pensions has been contacted for comment.
