John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of money given over by the religious orders to fund services or supports for individual victims of abuse as part of the agreement with the State; the names of the organisations administering these funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18885/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The following table sets out the position in relation to the realisation of the €128 million contribution due from the eighteen congregations under the 2002 indemnity agreement. The completion of the legal arrangements in the case of 24 properties, valued at €23.34 million, remain outstanding, although the physical transfers of these properties have taken place. The Chief State Solicitor's Office continues to pursue the legal requirements issue under the indemnity agreement. In addition, a potential shortfall of €160,000 has been projected between the value of properties to be transferred and the total amounts due under the agreement. However, this is subject to change if good and marketable title cannot be realised on certain properties and the final shortfall or surplus will not be known until all properties are completed under the terms of the indemnity agreement. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, €12.7m of the fund was used to provide an educational grants scheme for former residents and their families. This fund continues to be administered by the Education Finance Board who, at the end of 2010, still had a balance of approximately €3.64 million remaining in the fund. The remaining cash balance was lodged in the special account and used to offset the cost of the payment of redress awards.

Section 7 (iv) of the indemnity agreement provides that part of the contribution of the congregations shall comprise "counselling and other support services for former residents of institutions and their families already provided or to be provided to the extent that the value of the same amounts to €10 million". My Department received confirmation from Faoiseamh, an organisation providing counselling and psychotherapy referral service for people abused by priests or religious, that it received contributions amounting to €13.9m from the contributing congregations between 11th May 1999 and December 2009. This represents compliance with their obligations in terms of this aspect of the indemnity agreement.

As the Deputy will be aware, the question of further contributions from the congregations towards meeting the costs of the response to residential institutional abuse is also being pursued. Contributions by Religious Congregations Under the 2002 Indemnity Agreement