AQW 7756/22-27


Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast


Tabled Date: 28/02/2024
Answered On Date: 13/03/2024
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the recommendations contained in Sir Anthony Hart's Report of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry they, or their predecessors, (i) amended; and (ii) rejected.


Answer:
Under the direction of the former Head of the Civil Service (HOCS), draft legislation based wholly on the Hart Report recommendations was developed in 2018.
Following a full 16-week consultation exercise, which received 526 responses, a consultation report, policy position paper and draft legislation were sent to the then Secretary of State. Thereafter, at the request of the Secretary of State, the former HOCS led a series of discussions with local political parties to agree their position on those policy issues. The draft Bill to establish the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA) and the HIA Redress Board reflected that political consensus and subsequently the legislation was enacted on 5 November 2019.
Among the amendments made to the draft Bill were an increase in the standard award from £7,500 to £10,000 and agreement that no reduction would be made to any application made in respect of a deceased individual. The Hart Report had recommended that the spouse or children of a deceased individual should be able to claim 75% of the compensation that would have been awarded to their spouse or parent.
Other amendments included the inclusion of non-judicial members on Redress Board panels and removing the bar on making applications where there had been previous civil proceedings.
To date, the following Hart Report recommendations have been implemented - the establishment of both the statutory Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA) and the HIA Redress Board; support services for victims and survivors; and delivery of the apology by the State and the responsible institutions on 11 March 2022.
Work continues at pace on the remaining Hart Report recommendations: contributions from the relevant institutions to the cost of redress; and the erection of a memorial in Parliament Buildings to remind legislators and others of what many children experienced in residential homes. We know implementation of this recommendation is important for many victims and survivors. We also recognise that there are wider views on the issue of memorial and so we are considering a wider memorial programme which goes beyond the Hart recommendation.