Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1254. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding Caranua and an individual application to the Residential Institutions Redress Board. [31227/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1255. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the impact of the cessation of benefits to the family of a survivor of institutional abuse. [31228/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1256. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 was designed to limit, on purely administrative grounds, the number of people eligible to access essential resources, reducing costs and that section 3 of the Act which defines the term former resident as somebody who availed of a particular Government scheme, not as a person actually resident in a particular institution, is in need of urgent amendment; and her plans in this regard. [31229/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1268. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to acknowledge and compensate the many survivors of child abuse who are continuing to suffer in part as a result of their inability to access the Caranua scheme. [31254/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1312. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to review the Caranua fund, with particular reference to extending the scheme to cover the children of survivors for the benefit of the survivor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31659/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1254 to 256, inclusive, 1268 and 1312 together.

Eligibility for assistance from Caranua (the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund) is confined to those who received awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board or equivalent Court awards or settlements. Relatives of survivors of abuse are not eligible to receive support from Caranua. This approach was taken having regard to the maximum funds available of €110 million and a potential pool of some 15,000 applicants. I am satisfied that that approach was the correct one. This approach differs from that which applied in the case of the now dissolved Education Finance Board which was financed by 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.

As I explained to the Deputy in replies to previous Parliamentary Questions replies I intend to consider the question of a review of the arrangements relating to eligibility later this year by which time a clearer picture should have emerged regarding the uptake of the funding available.

The Residential Institutions Redress Board was established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002 to provide fair and reasonable financial awards to victims of institutional childhood abuse. The closing date for receipt of applications was 15th December 2005. The Board could however accept late applications in exceptional circumstances, up until September 2011. The Board is currently finalising the remaining applications it received and will be dissolved shortly thereafter. I do not propose to establish any further redress scheme for persons who may have suffered institutional abuse as children.

Former residents who are not eligible for assistance from Caranua may be entitled to avail of services provided by other statutory bodies. Survivors can, for example, avail of the National Counselling Service operated by the Health Service Executive which offers counselling and psychotherapy services to those who have experienced trauma and abuse in childhood with priority given to survivors of institutional abuse.