Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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284. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of victims of child sex abuse that have received offers of payment from the State in view of the O’Keeffe judgment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22410/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment in the case of Louise O'Keeffe delivered on 28th January 2014, determined that there had been a violation by Ireland of Articles 3 (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) and awarded the applicant €30,000 in respect of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages and €85,000 in costs and expenses.

In its response to the judgment, the Government agreed in December 2014 that out of court settlements be offered in those extant cases of school child sexual abuse being brought against the State where the cases come within the terms of the ECtHR judgment and satisfy the Statute of Limitations. The State Claims Agency (SCA), who manage such cases on behalf of the State, was mandated to offer out of court settlements in current and future litigation where the circumstances of the cases come within the terms of the European Court judgment and are not statute barred. In this regard, the SCA has made settlement offers which have been accepted in 6 cases.