Written answers

Tuesday, 11 October 2011

Department of Education and Skills

Residential Institutions Redress Scheme

8:00 pm

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding funds in respect of a survivor of institutional abuse (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28538/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Government is proceeding with the drafting of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill on the basis of the General Scheme prepared by my Department. These proposals followed extensive consultations with survivors of residential abuse and the groups which support them, together with a public consultation process. The General Scheme, together with a copy of a Report on the Consultation Process is available on my Department's website. I intend to introduce the legislation in the Autumn with a view to having it enacted by the end of the year.

While some former residents advocate a simple distribution of the available money, I believe that the Fund should target resources at services to support former residents' needs. To that end, the General Scheme provides for approved services to include, counselling, psychological support services and mental health services together with such health and personal social services, educational services and housing services as the Fund may determine. Further services can be prescribed as appropriate.

The Statutory Fund will focus solely on victims of residential institutional abuse, with eligibility being confined to those who received an award from the Redress Board or an award following a court decision or settlement who would otherwise have received an award from the Redress Board. Over 13,000 victims have received awards from the Redress Board to date. I am satisfied that it is the correct approach, with the focus of the Statutory Fund being on those former residents who have successfully completed the redress process.

The Government intends that some €110 million will be available to the Fund, this being essentially the cash portion of offers made by religious congregations in the aftermath of the publication of the Ryan Report. To date, €21.05 million of these cash contributions have been received and placed in a special interest bearing account in the Central Bank pending the establishment of the Statutory Fund.

In terms of survivor groups, my Department currently funds 5 such groups in Ireland and 3 Outreach services in the UK. The groups are funded to provide an information and referral service for former residents wishing to access the various bodies established by the Government such as the Redress Board, the National Counselling Service, the Education Finance Board, etc. All groups are required to submit annual audited accounts or receipts to fully account for all expenditure. They are further required to give a detailed account of all activities undertaken in any one particular year. As responsibility for information for survivors will also be taken on by the Statutory Fund, funding of survivor groups by my Department will cease.

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 146: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding funds in respect of survivors of institutional abuse (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28539/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Government is proceeding with the drafting of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill on the basis of the General Scheme prepared by my Department. These proposals followed extensive consultations with survivors of residential abuse and the groups which support them, together with a public consultation process. The General Scheme, together with a copy of a Report on the Consultation Process is available on my Department's website. I intend to introduce the legislation in the Autumn with a view to having it enacted by the end of the year.

While some former residents advocate a simple distribution of the available money, I believe that the Fund should target resources at services to support former residents' needs. To that end, the General Scheme provides for approved services to include, counselling, psychological support services and mental health services together with such health and personal social services, educational services and housing services as the Fund may determine. Further services can be prescribed as appropriate.

The Statutory Fund will focus solely on victims of residential institutional abuse, with eligibility being confined to those who received an award from the Redress Board or an award following a court decision or settlement who would otherwise have received an award from the Redress Board. Over 13,000 victims have received awards from the Redress Board to date. I am satisfied that it is the correct approach, with the focus of the Statutory Fund being on those former residents who have successfully completed the redress process. The Government intends that some €110 million will be available to the Fund, this being essentially the cash portion of offers made by religious congregations in the aftermath of the publication of the Ryan Report. To date, €21.05 million of these cash contributions have been received and placed in a special interest bearing account in the Central Bank pending the establishment of the Statutory Fund.

Funding for the Education Finance Board, which was established on a statutory basis in 2006, has been provided from the €12.7 million contribution provided by the religious congregations under the 2002 Indemnity Agreement specifically earmarked for educational support for former residents and their families. Prior to its establishment, grants were paid to eligible applicants under an administrative scheme. At the end of 2010 the total funds available to the Board was €3.649 million approximately with the Board estimating that the remaining funds would be committed prior to the end of 2011 or shortly thereafter. As noted in the Board's 2010 Annual Report, it has been the Board's policy to estimate the costs to completion of the course and to reserve the amount of these future costs or the balance of the persons overall grant limit whichever is the lower. If all such commitments at 31 December, 2010 were to be realized, the remaining funds available to the Board for new applications would be reduced by an additional amount in the order of €1.358 million.

Under the terms of the proposed Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill, the Education Finance Board will be dissolved and its staff will transfer to the Statutory Fund, which will assume its functions in relation to the remaining moneys available to the Board. When the remaining moneys fall below €0.1m, the Minister will direct the National Treasury Management Agency to close the relevant account and transfer the remaining balance to the Statutory Fund and the Fund's functions in relation to the Education Finance Board provisions will be terminated.

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