Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 197: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a group (details supplied) has not been included in the institutions for redress in view of the fact that the Department of Health and Children did have an inspection role with regard to this institution. [3626/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Section 4 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides that the Minister for Education and Science may, by order, insert additional institutions in the Schedule to the Act. In order that an institution be considered under section 4, it must be an industrial school, a reformatory school, an orphanage, a children's home, a special school for children with a physical or intellectual disability or a hospital providing medical or psychiatric services to people with a physical or mental disability or mental illness. It must also be one in which children were placed and resident and in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function.

The case raised by the Deputy concerns the Regina Coeli Hostel which provided shelter for homeless women, mothers with young children and expectant mothers. However, as hostel facilities do not come within the scope of section 4 of the Act, it is not open to me to consider the inclusion of this institution in the Schedule. The question of including additional institutions has now been fully considered by my Department in consultation with relevant Departments and it is not proposed to add any further institutions to the Schedule.