Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will support the survivors of abuse in their opposition to the statutory trust fund. [19588/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Government has agreed to the drafting of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill to provide for the establishment of a Statutory Fund to support the needs of victims of residential institutional abuse, as endorsed by Dáil Éireann in the aftermath of the publication of the Ryan Report in 2009. The legislative proposals followed extensive consultations with survivors of residential abuse and the groups which support them, together with a public consultation process.

While some former residents advocated a simple distribution of the available money others support the establishment of the Fund. I believe that the Fund should target resources at services to support the needs of former residents that suffered abuse. The report on the consultation process and the General Scheme of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill are available on my Department's website and I believe that the availability of the detailed arrangements proposed for the Fund will remove any misconceptions regarding the scope of the Fund. I will be meeting with groups representing survivors of residential institutional abuse to discuss the proposals later this month and I am confident that the proposals will receive broad support.