Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry

We recommend that the Northern Ireland Executive and those who were responsible for each of the institutions investigated by the Inquiry where we found systemic failings should make a public apology. The apology should be a wholehearted and unconditional recognition that they failed to protect children from abuse that could and should have been prevented or detected. We also recommend that this should be done on a single occasion at a suitable venue.

The Inquiry asked the Northern Ireland Executive and responsible institutions to make a public apology. The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) stated in March 2022 that five Ministers had offered a public apology to victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse, describing action on the government apology but not institutional apologies (The Executive Office (Northern Ireland), Mar 2022). Northern Ireland Executive Ministers had stated in February 2022 that their apology on behalf of government would be followed by apologies from each of the institutions investigated by the Inquiry (The Executive Office (Northern Ireland), Feb 2022).

We recommend that a suitable physical memorial should be erected in Parliament Buildings, or in the grounds of the Stormont Estate.

The Inquiry recommended erecting a physical memorial in Parliament Buildings or on the Stormont Estate. In February 2026, The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) announced that First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly unveiled a memorial plaque at Parliament Buildings, stating that it "fulfils the final recommendation" of the inquiry (The Executive Office (Northern Ireland), Feb 2026). Earlier, in September 2019, a report laid before Parliament by the department and the Northern Ireland Office recorded that recommendations had not yet been put to the Northern Ireland Executive due to its collapse (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

We therefore recommend that a designated person should act as an advocate for such children, and should be responsible for ensuring the co-ordination and availability of services, and identifying suitable means whereby such services can be made available to those who need them. This person should be called the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse (COSICA).

The Inquiry recommended appointing a Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse to advocate for victims. In October 2020, The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) announced that First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill had appointed Fiona Ryan to the post for a five-year term, though the co-ordination of services named in the recommendation was not mentioned (The Executive Office (Northern Ireland), Oct 2020). In September 2019, the department and the Northern Ireland Office had reported to Parliament that the recommendations had not yet been put to the Northern Ireland Executive due to its collapse (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

We therefore recommend that compensation should take the form of a lump sum payment.

The Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019, enacted in November 2019, provides that an award of compensation is to be paid "as a single lump sum" or as a lump sum for each payment (UK Parliament, Nov 2019). Previously, The Executive Office and the Northern Ireland Office recorded in September 2019 that no formal government response had been published because the Northern Ireland Executive had collapsed before the recommendations could be put to it (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

We recommend that the Northern Ireland Executive create a publicly funded compensation scheme.

The Inquiry recommended that the Northern Ireland Executive create a publicly funded compensation scheme. In an Executive Office news release in March 2020, Arlene Foster, First Minister, stated that the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Redress Board had opened for applications following legislation passed in November 2019 (Arlene Foster, Mar 2020). Previously, a report laid before Parliament by the department and the Northern Ireland Office in September 2019 recorded that the recommendations had not yet been put to the Executive because it collapsed in January 2017 (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

We consider the appropriate method of administering the compensation scheme is to create a specific Historic Institutional Abuse Redress Board for that purpose, and we so recommend. The HIA Redress Board should be responsible for receiving and processing applications for, and making payments of, compensation.

The Inquiry recommended creating a dedicated board to process applications and pay compensation. In March 2020, First Minister Arlene Foster announced in an Executive Office news release that the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Redress Board had opened for applications following legislation passed in November 2019 (Arlene Foster, Mar 2020). The Minister described opening the board for applications, while the payment of compensation was not mentioned in the source (Arlene Foster, Mar 2020). Earlier, a report laid before Parliament in September 2019 by the department and the Northern Ireland Office recorded that the recommendations had not yet been put to the Northern Ireland Executive because of its January 2017 collapse (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

We recommend that the amount of compensation should therefore consist of one or more of the following elements. (i) A standard payment of £7,500 payable to anyone who was abused, including those who experienced a harsh environment, or who witnessed such abuse. (ii) An additional payment of £20,000 in respect of a person sent to Australia under the Child Migrants Scheme. (iii) An additional enhanced payment to anyone who was more severely abused. The maximum amount of compensation payable in respect of (i) and (iii) should not exceed £80,000, and the maximum payment in respect of (i), (ii) and (iii) should not exceed £100,000.

The Inquiry recommended tiered compensation amounts and caps for victims of institutional abuse. The Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019, as enacted in November 2019, set compensation at £10,000, an amount up to £70,000 for severity, and £20,000 for child migrants, capped at £80,000 or £100,000 (UK Parliament, Nov 2019). Earlier, in September 2019, The Executive Office and the Northern Ireland Office reported that no formal response had been published because the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed in January 2017 before recommendations could be considered (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

Sufficient funds should be made available by government on a ring-fenced basis for a fixed period of ten years, subject to a review after five years, to establish dedicated specialist facilities in Belfast, Derry and, if necessary, at other suitable locations across Northern Ireland to provide: (a) general counselling services for those who have suffered abuse as children in residential institutions in Northern Ireland, supported by appropriate links to the health service and to other relevant housing, education and employment services; and (b) practical help with literacy and numeracy, education, employment, housing and benefits advice tailored to the needs of individual victims of institutional abuse.

The Inquiry recommended ring-fenced funding for specialist support and counselling facilities for abuse victims. In a September 2024 written answer, the First Minister and deputy First Minister (Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly) stated that a support service facilitated by the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) commenced in December 2020, with a five-year review due in 2025, but did not mention dedicated facilities in Belfast and Derry or practical help with literacy and numeracy (Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly, Sep 2024). Earlier, in a December 2020 news release, The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) announced dedicated health, wellbeing, and social support measures for victims and survivors (The Executive Office (Northern Ireland), Dec 2020).

We also recommend that social security payments should not be affected by lump sum payments awarded by the HIA Redress Board.

The Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019, enacted in November 2019, provides that compensation payments awarded under the statutory redress scheme must not affect an individual's welfare entitlements (UK Parliament, Nov 2019). In November 2019, it established under section 15 that an award "is to be disregarded for the purposes of an assessment" of eligibility for any social security benefit that depends on a means test (UK Parliament, Nov 2019).

We recommend that payments of compensation should not be taxable, and that the Northern Ireland Executive make representations to the Treasury and to HMRC to achieve this.

Section 15 of the Historical Institutional Abuse (Northern Ireland) Act 2019, as enacted in November 2019, provides that an award of compensation "does not give rise to a charge to any tax or to a liability to pay national insurance contributions" (UK Parliament, Nov 2019). Earlier, The Executive Office and the Northern Ireland Office recorded in September 2019 that no formal response had been published because the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed before the recommendations could be put to it (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

We recommend that applicants should be eligible for legal aid to allow them to obtain legal assistance to make an application for an award.

The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) stated in March 2020 that "free legal advice is available to all applicants to the HIA Redress Board to assist with the application" (The Executive Office (Northern Ireland), Mar 2020). Prior to this, a report laid before Parliament by the department and the Northern Ireland Office in September 2019 recorded that no formal response had been published because the collapse of the Executive in January 2017 meant the recommendations had not yet been put to it (Northern Ireland Executive response, Sep 2019).

We recommend that any voluntary institution found by the Inquiry to have been guilty of systemic failings should be asked to make an appropriate financial contribution to the overall cost of the HIA Redress Board and any specialist support services recommended by the Inquiry.

In November 2024, Emma Little-Pengelly, deputy First Minister, stated in an Executive Office news release that the Northern Ireland Executive remained focused on reaching agreements on further financial contributions from institutions (Emma Little-Pengelly, Nov 2024). The Minister affirmed a commitment to ensuring a fair and balanced approach to discussions with all institutions, adding that it will "publish details of all payments once the process has concluded" (Emma Little-Pengelly, Nov 2024).