AQW 12400/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 22/05/2024
Answered On Date: 06/06/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the Executive Office's process for engagement with victims and survivors of Historical Institutional Abuse in relation to a memorial since the restoration of the Executive in February 2024.

Answer:

Since the State apology was delivered on 11 March 2022, officials have held several formal meetings with representative group leaders to discuss memorial plans. Officials have also kept representative group leaders updated on memorial plans informally through regular communication via e-mails and telephone calls.

Prior to the restoration of the Executive, official-led engagement events took place in Belfast and the Northwest in November 2023 to discuss victims and survivors’ views on the current working memorial proposal. Those who did not wish to attend the events, but wished to share their thoughts on the memorial proposals, contacted officials directly to share their views.

Ministers met with the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse on 9 April to discuss HIA-related matters. This included discussions around memorial plans and recommendations from the Commissioner on how this should be taken forward.

Ministers will soon be meeting with victims and survivors’ representative groups and will consider all relevant proposals for a memorial. Officials will continue to engage with, and update, representative group leaders on memorial plans.