Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Government and in support of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, and to speak about Caranua, the services it provides and the concerns that have been raised. Many individuals suffered horrific abuse when, as children, they were placed in industrial schools and other residential settings. Successive Governments have put in place strategies to support former residents through the provision of services including counselling and educational supports. I have heard many of the contributions to this debate on the motion. I appreciate the sincere and genuine interest of all contributors in the need to ensure those who suffered abuse as children in residential institutions receive the support that they require.

I am aware that concerns regarding Caranua have been raised in the media and in this House. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, has met survivors himself and I know he appreciates their concerns. I believe it is vital that the State, in all its dealings with victims of abuse, ensures survivors are always dealt with in a sensitive, fair and compassionate manner. While there have been difficulties which we all recognise, Caranua has got many things right. It started virtually from scratch in 2013 and began to design a scheme that would support individuals who have complex needs and who live in every part of the country and overseas. Caranua began to accept applications in early 2014 and has to date received more than 5,800 applications. It has paid €60 million in supports to more than 4,000 former residents. Due to reasons of confidentiality, it was restricted in directly contacting eligible former residents and was required to rely on advertising and marketing, including through the good offices of many bodies and organisations.

Caranua’s aim is to provide a responsive, friendly and professional service. It drew up criteria and guidelines and amended those in 2016 in the light of experience and feedback from applicants. It expanded the range of approved services it could support last year to include funeral costs and certain other areas of support, indicating a willingness to take on board the views of applicants. The organisation welcomes feedback and has addressed complaints through its customer service charter and its feedback and complaints policy which may be accessed via its website. However, it would be helpful for Caranua to review its current customer charter, in consultation with survivors, ensuring that the principles of equity, consistency and transparency are at the heart of all its activities.

There are a number of avenues available to individuals who are dissatisfied with the service they receive from Caranua, including a complaints and feedback process, an appeal to an independent appeals officer and review by the Ombudsman. It is, of course, also important that Caranua seeks to improve the level of engagement with and service to those whom it is there to help. The Minister has recently approved a proposal whereby two new appeals officers have been appointed to replace the outgoing appeals officer. It is hoped that this will lead to speedier decisions and will clear the backlog of appeals that has built up.

Caranua was set up as an independent body under law. The 2012 Act sets out the respective powers and function of both Caranua itself and the Minister. The motion appears to call on the Minister for Education and Skills to use Exchequer funds to meet costs associated with Caranua’s office accommodation. That is not allowed under the provisions of the 2012 Act. The motion also seems to suggest that section 43 of the 2012 Act should be removed. That provision has nothing to do with Caranua. The 2012 Act caps Caranua’s funding at €110 million. Section 43 provides that any additional contributions, that is, contributions other than those that form the €110 million, will go towards the cost of the new national children’s hospital. I understand there is at least one commitment by a congregation to make such a contribution and the Minister remains hopeful that other congregations will augment their cash contributions. The retention of section 43 is therefore very important. As I said, it has no bearing on the funding available for Caranua or for the survivors. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, has also announced a consultation on proposed draft terms of reference for a review of eligibility for Caranua. The outcome of that consultative process will be published shortly. The review of eligibility will be completed this summer.

The Government’s amendment to the motion represents a balanced approach. It acknowledges the suffering of those who were abused and the steps taken already by the State to support them. It acknowledges also that many former residents have ongoing needs. It notes the progress being made by Caranua, including the support it has provided to survivors residing in the United Kingdom. Various meetings and outreach events have been held in that respect. Granted, the message has not reached everybody, so those efforts will continue. It notes various developments in respect of Caranua, including the fact the range of approved services was extended in 2016 and that progress is being made in regard to the eligibility review. It also notes that section 43 of the 2012 Act must be retained as it is an important provision that will facilitate additional contributions over and above the €110 million earmarked for Caranua, going towards the new national children’s hospital.

As the Government amendment to the motion states, it would also be helpful to survivors if Caranua could provide a greater level of face-to-face engagement with survivors and applicants, particularly after the organisation moves into the new office accommodation which will be more suitable for this kind of activity. Caranua should continue to provide regular statistics to the Department of Education and Skills and the public on waiting times for processing and communicating decisions. To date, €97 million has been received into the fund. I am informed that the balance of the €110 million is expected to be received by 2018.

The Government amendment to the motion is a fair statement of the current position in respect of Caranua and it addresses in an appropriate manner a number of important matters. To touch on one or two issues that have been raised in respect of rent, the legislation is very clear that the administration costs must come from the fund. The Minister will consider the rent agreement when it is submitted to him. The policy regarding accommodation is, of course, a matter for the board and the new board will be announced later this week. In respect of the review, the terms of reference have been published. I know that Deputies Daly, Nolan, Byrne and many others have submitted comments on it. The terms will be finalised shortly and the review will proceed without delay.

I commend the Government amendment to this motion to the House.

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