An apology delivered to victims of historical institutional abuse at Stormont at a time when no First or deputy First Minister was in place was “horrendous”, an MLA has said.
Sinn Fein’s Caral Ni Chuilin made the remark as members of the Executive Office committee were briefed on the work of the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse Fiona Ryan.
Support and compensation for victims were among the recommendations of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIAI) which revealed sexual, physical and emotional abuse at state, church and charity-run homes in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1995.
Ms Ryan told MLAs that a concerted effort needs to be made to reach victims and survivors who are entitled to apply for redress and services.
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Her appeal came as a redress scheme, set up to provide financial compensation for survivors, enters into its final year.
She said: “I remain acutely aware that victims and survivors who left Northern Ireland, the abuse they experienced being a key factor….they are at increased risk of not knowing about their entitlements here in Northern Ireland.
“I feel there is a strong need for targeted promotion of services, supports, redress to victims and survivors, both in Northern Ireland and outside Northern Ireland.”
Ms Ryan also told MLAs that there needed to be urgency over pursuing the issue of contributions from the relevant institutions towards the cost of redress and specialist services.
She said many victims and survivors saw contributions from the institutions as a “matter of accountability”.
A number of MLAs raised the issue of the official apology, which was delivered by a number of Stormont ministers in March 2022.
No first minister or deputy first minister were in post at that point after the resignation of then first minister Paul Givan in February 2022 as part of the DUP’s protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements.
At that time, a number of victims of abuse walked out of the Assembly chamber in protest while apologies were being delivered on behalf of the institutions that ran facilities where abuse took place.
Alliance Party MLA Connie Egan said: “I am aware that many were disappointed with the apology from the institutions and also that the apology was not from the heads of government due to the political situation at the time.
“Have you had any conversations with the Executive Office about an apology from the First and deputy First Minister that would be on Hansard? I am conscious the previous one wasn’t.”
Ms Ryan said: “I think in relation to the apology we recognised it was important in terms of the state’s acknowledgement.
“Again, it was late, again, there were victims and survivors who passed before they saw an apology.
“The apology which went ahead, I think it was far from ideal.”
Ms Ni Chulin said: “I watched the apology and I thought it was horrendous. Being honest, I thought it was absolutely horrendous.
“I can’t help but feel that the religious orders are taking the same approach as the state did in terms of legacy, they are trying to wind the clock down and hope that these people just go away.”
DUP MLA Brian Kingston said: “I accept entirely the apology did not happen in the way it should have and that was less than it should have been, due to the circumstances at that time.”
Following the restoration of the Stormont institutions, Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly offered a formal apology to victims of historical institutional abuse in the Assembly in March.
