Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister only started in the job this week but I beg him not to provide just the standard answer other Ministers have given us on the issue. Time is not on the side of the survivors of institutional abuse. The reply given by the Minister is simply not accurate. A total of 39% of the cases took more than a year to process. There are 2,449 applications awaiting a decision. How many of them will go on to the appeals process. One appeals officer is not enough. We urgently need two.

As Deputy Broughan said, what is of critical concern is how many of the survivors will be dragged into the courts to get their claims settled. There are cases going through the courts where Caranua has failed outright to implement the decision of the appeals officer. The approximate cost of each of those cases is €200,000 and the costs are taken from the survivor fund, which is shameful. We need an efficient scheme, a review and for the Minister to take some notice of what is going on and to consider some of the suggestions we have put forward over the years. To be honest, I think we have taken a more active interest in the matter than the Department has and we have made some practical suggestions, which I appeal to the Minister to consider.

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