A Luton woman’s harrowing childhood experience was told as part of a fresh push in Parliament to protect the benefits of survivors of Ireland’s notorious mother and baby homes.
Liam Conlon MP introduced a ten-minute rule Bill known as Philomena’s law, named after Philomena Lee. Her story was portrayed by Judi Dench in the Oscar-nominated film Philomena, and her daughter and grandson joined MPs in the gallery.
The proposed law has support from over 100 MPs and peers and the public backing of Steve Coogan who plays BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith in the film, who helped Philomena Lee in her heartbreaking search for her son, who was forcibly adopted in the 1950s and sent to a couple in America.
After the film helped highlight the issue, the Republic of Ireland launched compensation scheme last year and now the UK campaign in Philomena’s name now aims to ringfence Irish compensation payments from being counted against UK benefits.
Luton South MP Rachel Hopkins co-sponsored the Bill and called on the UK Government to implement an indefinite capital disregard to ensure that Irish survivors in England, Wales and Scotland are not financially punished for accepting redress.
She said: “Although compensation for survivors will not reverse the damage and trauma inflicted, the least we can do is to ensure that those who are eligible get the payments they deserve, that the process is as easy and stress-free as possible and that we provide them with the kindness and respect that they have too often been denied.”
Ms Hopkins used the debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday to underline the importance of the issue to her own Luton constituency, where many residents are part of the Irish community and she shared the story of local resident Christina — who was born in one such institution in Rathdrum, County Wicklow. Christina’s mother escaped and fled with her newborn baby, only to later abandon her on the steps of a church in Dublin.
Christina’s story, shared with permission, was used by the Labour politician to highlight the plight of up to 13,000 survivors who are living in Britain — many of whom have not claimed compensation under the Irish Government’s Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme for fear of losing their UK benefits.
“I represent a significant Irish diaspora in my constituency, with close ties between the UK and Ireland,” Ms Hopkins said. “With great thanks to Luton Irish Forum, which does brilliant work supporting our Irish diaspora, I am honoured to share a snippet of Christina’s story, who is here today. She has been really courageous in sharing her story and allowing me to mention her in my speech.
“Christina spent much of her life being passed from foster family to foster family, where she experienced physical abuse, taunting and humiliation, including from those caring for her and neighbours on the street where she lived. She eventually reconnected with her mother during her teenage years, after hiring a detective to track her down, and realised that she was living in Dublin, just minutes from where Christina was working in a factory.
“Unfortunately Christina and her mother never forged a close relationship, but it is important to ensure that these stories are heard, because the trauma Christina endured and the shame associated with mother and baby institutions in Ireland unfortunately mirrors the story of tens of thousands of women and children who experienced harsh conditions and mistreatment, with many fleeing to England to escape,” Ms Hopkins said.
What’s at stake
The Republic of Ireland’s compensation scheme, launched in March 2024, offers survivors up to €125,000 in recognition of the pain endured in institutions where unmarried mothers and their children were housed — often in brutal, stigmatising conditions. But under current UK welfare rules, anyone living in England who accepts a lump sum from the scheme could risk losing means-tested benefits such as housing benefit, pension credit and financial support for social care, because the payment is counted as savings.
As a result, many survivors — including some in Luton — have delayed or avoided applying altogether.
“The uncertainty and stress involved is causing yet more trauma for survivors, and many eligible applicants have delayed accepting the money they have been offered or not made applications in the first place as a result,” said Ms Hopkins.
“Sadly, the age profile of many eligible applicants means that delays in accepting offers or making applications run the risk that many people will not live long enough to benefit from the compensation that they are due.“
A question of fairness
Similar capital disregards have already been granted to survivors of other injustices, including the infected blood scandal . And in Northern Ireland itself, Irish mother and baby home survivors can already accept compensation without losing benefits — unlike their peers in the rest of the UK.
For campaigners, and for survivors like Christina, the case for parity is clear.
“This complicated and unfair situation has made the payments scheme, which was supposed to be a token of apology from the Irish Government, into an additional burden and hurdle for many,” said Ms Hopkins.
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