Two out of eight religious bodies have offered a financial contribution towards the cost of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.
A report by negotiator Sheila Nunan, who was tasked with leading a process of negotiation with religious bodies with historical involvement in Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, has been published.
Ms Nunan engaged with eight religious bodies involved in the institutions over 20 months.
Her report indicates that just two of bodies have offered a contribution towards the cost of the payment scheme.
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She has recommended acceptance of an offer of a cash contribution of €12.97 million by the Sisters of Bon Secours. The Government has agreed to accept this offer.
Her report also recommends "active consideration" of an offer of a building by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul.
The Government has agreed that the Minister for Children Norma Foley, who brought the report to Cabinet this morning. should consider this offer and engage further with the congregation in relation to it as a first step.
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A third body, the Sisters of St John of God, offered "a conditional donation" of €75,000 to be used as a charitable donation towards a charitable purpose associated with mother and baby home survivors.
The remaining bodies did not offer any contribution.
The minister has said she's "deeply disappointed" by the overall response of the religious bodies.
She has asked that they "reflect further" on their shared, collective responsibility for the tragic legacy of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions and the intergenerational impacts which endure.
Ms Foley has said she will ask her officials to liaise with the Office of the Attorney General to consider if any further options are now available to the State.
In an email to survivors, the minister said she understood that they may feel upset with today’s announcement and re-emphasised that the Government is committed to implementing all aspects of its action plan.
The benefits provided under the Payment Scheme remain in place regardless of the response of the religious bodies, according to the department.
The eight religious organisations referred to in the Commission of Investigation are:
Congregation of Lady of the Good Shepherd
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul
The Sisters of Bons Secours
The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of St. John of God
The Legion of Mary
The Church of Ireland (Representative Church Body)
'No financial contribution will make amends', says minister
However, Ms Foley has said that "no financial contribution will make amends" for what women in Mother and Baby homes went through.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, she said that she was asking religious orders to "consider" stepping forward with donations to the State’s redress scheme.
"I'm mindful in saying that no financial contribution is ever going to make amends for what women endured and what they had to go through. But it is a step," she said.
"I'm inviting those who have not stepped forward at this point to consider stepping forward.
"Perhaps look at the example of others. There is time to reconsider the position that they have taken," she added.
Ms Foley said that she was hopeful of a bigger uptake for the redress scheme, as so far 6,000 of a possible 30,000 people who are eligible have applied.
"We recognise that many of them may well be based particularly right across the United Kingdom," she said.
"But it is the experience of previous redress schemes that there might be a slow uptake initially, but towards the end, and again it's a five year scheme with just the first year coming to a conclusion, that there's a greater uptake in the last year or two of the scheme," she added.
