Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the representatives of Caranua for coming here today. It is extremely concerning that in too many instances complaints have been raised. We are talking about survivors of abuse. It would take a great deal for them to reach out to any organisation for support and it is unacceptable for them to be left as disillusioned as many of them are at present.

It is also of concern that many of the survivors were not consulted about the terms of the redress scheme in 2002. Many people feel that the consultation process that was undertaken should have been survivor-led and survivor-centred. In the Six Counties, we had a redress scheme that was based on a consultation process undertaken by Professor Lundy of Ulster University. A different approach was used in that instance. First, why was the redress scheme not survivor-led and survivor-centred?

Second, why was the decision relating to the prioritisation policy and the decision to close files not made available much sooner? It is my understanding that the decision was made on 29 July 2015 by the board, but it was not made available until months later. That rings alarm bells with me.

In terms of the rejection of applications from survivors, as I said at the outset, it takes a lot for any survivor to reach out and it caused distress when their applications were rejected. That is a fact. The way it was communicated caused anger and frustration. What will be done to address the situation? To be quite frank, all of us have received complaints from too many survivors. What will be done? I ask that my questions be answered.