The Irish government has announced the process of compensation amounting to $133 million, for Magdalene survivors should be wound up by August.
Details of the system of compensation and State assistance will be finalised in cabinet on Tuesday. Minister Kathleen Lynch said a payment is expected to be made as a compassionate gesture.
The experiences of the 1,000 former residents of the Catholic Magdalene Laundries will be considered on a case by case bases.
On Saturday representatives of the Irish government, including Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Justice Minister Alan Shatter and Junior Minister Kathleen Lynch, met with 15 of the survivors in London.
Read more: New York Irish woman shares her story of being adopted out of a Magdalene Laundry
The groups representing the survivors have requested varying amounts of compensation, ranging from $80,000 to $133,000 per woman. Calls have been made for the payment of wages for the work carried out by the residents, depending on the length of their stay.
It is expected that Enda Kenny will make an official State apology and outline the method of providing compensation later this week in Parliament.
Speaking to the Evening Herald Shatter said the meeting in London was “very emotional”.
He said “This is all feeding in to what will be proposed to Cabinet on Tuesday. What we are focusing on the moment is to produce a comprehensive package of measures arising from the publication of the report.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seanomelb | Feb 19, 2013, 05:29 PM EST
Katiemac your lack of Christian values is sad and reprehensible. Wee Willy and his twisted ignorant view of history logic.
IrelandNorth | Feb 19, 2013, 01:49 PM EST
Will Hamilton! The Magdalen Launderies were established during British rule on the whole of island (c1860s). An inconvenient truth is that the hierarchy of the ecclesia which styles itself the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church were more often than not the handmaidens of the British rule in Irleand from the perfideous Act of Union, 1800/'01 onwards. A legitimate question would be how both Home Rule administrations in the respective parts of Irland since 1922 handled the inherited problem - and why?
RobinForester | Feb 19, 2013, 01:34 PM EST
I am pleased, commonsense and goodwill wins the day, the Irish PM needs a huge vote of thanks and deserves -'a bow'-. Well done.
katiemac | Feb 19, 2013, 01:27 PM EST
First that women in the tiger print, needs to pay a hefty penalty. Then anyone receiving a money award needs to repay room and board for however long they were there.
cillowen | Feb 19, 2013, 01:00 PM EST
sad but now its the gold that beckons and rightly so.
Will Hamilton | Feb 19, 2013, 09:24 AM EST
So much for Independence. When the British marched out the Catholic Church Limited slid in and established slave camps all across the country. The Irish people are still paying the bill for Home/Rome Rule.