Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 483: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of the significant number of applications which continue to be made to the Residential Institutions Redress Board, she will consider extending the closing date for receipt of such applications or in the alternative accept all such applications as being valid in terms of time pending receipt of the further and additional relevant information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36904/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Section 8 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides that applications may be made to the redress board within three years of the establishment of the board. This means that the statutory closing date for receipt of applications by the board is 15 December 2005. The board has made arrangements for applications to be received at the board's offices up to midnight on that date and has placed adverts in the media recently highlighting this arrangement.

The board also issued a statement on 25 November 2005 which addressed the validity of applications received up to the closing date. In this statement the board accepts that an applicant may have difficulty providing some information with regard to matters such as proof of residence in an institution before the closing date, but it expects that applications submitted by the closing date should at least contain an outline of the nature of the abuse and those responsible.

In addition, section 8 of the redress Act enables the board to extend the period for accepting an application if the board is satisfied there are exceptional circumstances with regard to a particular application.

I am satisfied with the provisions made for receipt of applications by the board. I do not intend to extend the deadline as suggested by the Deputy.