Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Tragic partner ‘would be extremely proud’
SIOBHAN Mclaughlin last night said she believed the partner she lost “would be extremely proud”.
The Co Antrim woman took the Department for Communities to court after being refused a £2,000 bereavement payment and up to £118 Widowed Parent’s Allowance each week.
The 47-year-old felt the decision was “unjust” because she and John Adams were treated as a couple for other benefits.
After “four long years” she said she and her children were vindicated when the Supreme Court ruled in their favour yesterday.
Ms Mclaughlin added: “It was just so wrong. I was focusing on the injustice for children born out of wedlock.
“For me it never was about the money. You adjust to losing that income.
“The time you spend at home with your children has more of an impact. It’s that, that I lost.”
Mr Adams was the main bread winner so she had to take on extra jobs after his death to keep her family afloat.
She said: “Not being there for them was hard, but then it’s hard for any single parent who has a loss that you are adjusting to.
“I couldn’t be there for them at supper times when I wanted to be. But you move on and it changes, not for the best at times, but we all pulled together.”
The couple’s children were aged 19, 17, 13 and 11 when Mr Adams died. If they had married she would have been entitled to Government support until their youngest child finished school, so she decided to fight.
Ms Mclaughlin added: “It was about how unjust this was. The principle of it.
“I work with children, so to be able to fight for a child’s rights and win is brilliant.
“The children were brilliant, but youngsters are youngsters, they keep you grounded.
“They said, ‘It doesn’t matter what the outcome is, you’ve done brilliant’.
“But you can never give up. That’s saying to your children, ‘When the going gets tough, forget about it’.
“It was four long years but with an amazing team behind us we won.”
Among those supporting Ms Mclaughlin in her fight were Macmillan Cancer Support and Denise Forde from Citizens’ Advice.
She said: “Siobhan had been struggling and it was not fair. I know bereavement benefit isn’t the answer to everything, but it helps.
“And when someone dies, that’s the worst time to be trying to fight for stuff.” Ms Mclaughlin’s solicitor Laura Banks, of Francis Hanna & Co, said the next job is “writing to the Government and asking them to rectify this and get the back payment into place”.
She admitted that while Stormont is down the law change will probably have to come from London.
She added: “The focus in this case was Northern Ireland legislation but the criteria is exactly the
same in the UK.”
CO ANTRIM YESTERDAY