Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 370: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of survivors and victims of child abuse organisations her Department has been in contact or consultation with; and the extent of the contact since the apology on behalf of the State. [17255/05]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 371: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of survivors and victims of child abuse organisations she has consulted about the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Bill 2005; and if they were given sufficient opportunity to outline changes or concerns they viewed as relevant to the Bill. [17256/05]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 372: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of survivors and victims of child abuse organisations her Department has funded; the funding disbursed to each group per organisation; and the amount and the criteria for such funding. [17257/05]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 373: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way in which her Department determines the survivors and victims of child abuse organisations which are a legitimate group of a more legitimate group representing the sector. [17258/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 370 to 373, inclusive, together.

My Department has had extensive and ongoing contact with several groups representing survivors of child abuse since the Taoiseach's apology and the initiation of a wide-ranging Government strategy to address the needs of survivors of abuse. Contact is maintained with ten different groups representing survivors and this includes meetings from time to time with the groups involved as well as ongoing communication with them on issues affecting survivors.

In addition to representing the interests of survivors, the groups provide a means of forwarding information regarding the commission to inquire into child abuse, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and other Government initiatives in this area to the individual survivor. My Department has never sought to categorise any group or groups as being more legitimate than others and it takes on trust the representations made to it by the various groups as representing their membership.

The approach of my Department to the provision of support to survivor groups willing to assist survivors in accessing information on various redress initiatives is in the main to provide serviced offices or funding for the provision of serviced offices. A range of services have been in place since 2001 which provide support and advice for survivors of abuse and for groups representing survivors, including the national office for victims of abuse in Dublin, the right of place office in Cork, and outreach offices in five locations in the UK. These facilities offer information and advice on various Government initiatives and public services for survivors of child abuse. They also provide or arrange for counselling and education services for survivors and their families. All of the offices provide services for survivors without reference to their membership of any particular group. Funding has also been provided to two other survivor groups who represent survivors in the UK. This funding is provided so that similar information is provided to their members on what services are available to them both in Ireland and the UK. Survivor groups may also apply to NOVA for funding and support services and such applications are considered on the basis of the size of the group concerned and the support they provide to victims of abuse.

Funding provided by my Department to survivor groups for the period 2002 to end 2004 is as follows:

My Department has also provided funding for five outreach centres in the United Kingdom, two in London and one each in Sheffield, Manchester and Coventry, as follows: 2002 to end 2004 is €1,628,161.

Regarding the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Bill 2005, officials of my Department have met with all survivor groups which requested a meeting or provided written submissions since the Bill was published. In addition, a number of survivor groups sought a meeting with me about the Bill and on 17 May 2005 I met with representatives of five groups. These were the right to peace Clonmel group, Irish SOCA, true survivors of institutional abuse, Irish survivors of institutional abuse international, and justice and healing for the institutionally abused. I was also pleased to table a number of Committee Stage amendments to the Bill on foot of the productive consultations between my Department and survivor groups on the Bill.