Labour MP Liam Conlon has introduced a proposed law in the UK Parliament called “Philomena’s Law” to help mother-and-baby-homes survivors accept compensation without losing access to benefits. Many survivors living in Britain have been deterred from applying to the Irish government’s compensation scheme due to the risk of losing means-tested benefits and financial support for social care.
The proposed law aims to help up to 13,000 women by amending UK law to remove the risk of losing benefits when accepting compensation, similar to changes made for other compensation schemes in the past. The Bill was presented in the House of Commons, with family members of survivor Philomena Lee, portrayed by Dame Judi Dench in a film, in attendance.
The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme aims to acknowledge the suffering of former residents of mother-and-baby homes, but survivors in Britain risk losing benefits if they accept compensation. The proposed law would introduce an indefinite capital disregard to remove this risk and make it easier for survivors to access the scheme.
