UK Benefits Penalty Blocks Compensation for Survivor of Irish Scandal

A UK survivor of Ireland's mother and baby homes says she cannot afford to accept financial compensation. Accepting the payment would cause her benefits to be cut. Rosemary Adaser, 70, lives in west London. She was placed in one of Ireland's notorious institutions as a child. These homes housed children born to unmarried mothers. Adaser calls the benefits rule "another institutional abuse." Her twin brother, who lives in Ireland, received full compensation with no penalty. In Ireland, a formal investigation found that thousands of children died in the mother and baby homes. Many others suffered abuse and forced adoption. The UK government reduces benefits if a person receives more than £10,000 in capital. The compensation payment would push Adaser over this limit. She would lose about £1,000 per month in pension credit. This loss would leave her worse off than if she refused the compensation. Adaser says the rule punishes survivors a second time.