Debate contribution: Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill: Final Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Gerry Carroll on 30 June 2026.

MLA

Mr Gerry Carroll

Party at the time

People Before Profit Alliance

Date

30 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill: Final Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5653141

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I want to speak briefly on the Bill. The Bill should always have been about victims and survivors. Sometimes, it was, and the voices of victims and survivors came through and were heard, but, quite often, it was not, especially when it came to certain amendments not being heard, selected or voted for. I commend all the people in the Gallery and the people who are watching the debate for not being quiet or piping down because to do so might have suited some of those people in power. I commend them for speaking out and speaking up, and I commend the groups that work alongside them and support them. If we have learnt anything from the political events of the past week, it is that powerful people — powerful men, in particular — and institutions should always be held to maximum account when it comes to abuse, neglect and victims, and that victims and survivors should be believed and supported on every occasion. There are a lot of positives in the Bill — it would be remiss of me not to mention that — which have been welcomed broadly in the House and by victims and survivors more generally. It would, however, be remiss of me not to mention some glaring omissions. Workhouses, the people who were in them and their families are excluded from the Bill on payment issues. That is a massive oversight. My simple proposed amendment would have rectified that anomaly but was voted down by the Executive parties. I commend people for speaking out on the issue, especially Sharon Burke. I think that she might be in the Gallery. She has been emailing Members on that issue. I am happy to have played a small part — I emphasise that it was a small part — in the Bill and to have raised issues that were previously not included by working alongside victims and survivors to table amendments. I thank them for bringing issues to my attention, and I thank Members for voting for such matters as payments for people who were in an institution on two separate occasions and ensuring that the chairperson of the inquiry takes every single step to ensure that documents are obtained when victims and survivors reside outside the North. I hope that the inquiry process will not adopt a timid approach to truth and accountability but will take an aggressive and uncompromising approach when chasing down documents, seeking truth and ensuring that the state and religious institutions actually cough up the finance and documents that relate to their role in allowing and furthering abuse, neglect, people trafficking and many other crimes that happened on their watch. I commend the Committee members. I do not always agree with them and they do not always agree with me. Maybe that is no surprise. The Chair and members have, however, done important work. I commend Stephen and his colleagues in the Bill Office and the Executive Office officials, who worked closely with me to try to support, amend or help along my amendments — whatever way you want to look at it. I also want to commend the Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone who spoke out during the last few stages. I pay tribute to her and to her mother for speaking out and for being here. Today is about victims and survivors. That is right and proper. The fact that we are here debating the Bill is no accident: it is down to the tenacity and doggedness of victims and survivors who had doors shut in their faces for decades but refused to be quiet or to let that stop them. Never again should we allow any institution to lock up, imprison and abuse women or anybody else. I commend the Bill and offer my support for it at Final Stage.

641 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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