Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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222. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of women who have applied for the Magdalen ex gratia scheme; the number of women in receipt of benefits from the scheme overall; and the number of women who have applied for the scheme from the United States of America and Canada and who are in receipt of benefits. [8361/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can advise the Deputy that to date, 807 applications have been received under the Magdalen Laundries Restorative Justice Ex-Gratia Scheme, 103 of which were refused as the women had not been admitted to one of the twelve specified institutions. My Department has paid lump sums to 624 women at a cost of over €23 m.

Eleven applications were received from women who are now resident in the United States of America. Eight of these women have received their lump sum payments and the other three applications were refused as the women had not been admitted to a relevant institution. No applications have been received from women now resident in Canada.

As the Deputy is aware, the women are also entitled to other benefits under the Scheme. Each woman is entitled to a top up payment to bring her weekly income from the State up to the equivalent of the Irish Contributory Pension, €233.30 if 66 or over and €100 if under that age.

As the Deputy will remember, I brought legislation, the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Act 2015, through the Houses to facilitate Judge Quirke's recommendation with regard to providing the women with access to a range of primary and community health services free of charge. This legislation was commenced with effect from 1st July 2015. The Department of Health also agreed that provision was to be made, through administrative arrangements by the HSE, for medical support for women residing abroad. The Act also provides that payments made to these women arising from the scheme of ex-gratia payments will not be included in any financial assessment of means under the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009.

When a decision is made by my officials in the Restorative Justice Implementation Unit that an applicant is eligible for benefits under the scheme and once she has accepted a formal offer and agreed to participate in the scheme, the lump sum is paid to the woman. My officials then notify the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Health, providing the relevant details of the additional participants to the scheme, and those Departments then liaise with the women on the provision of their top up payments and medical services.