Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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150. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the cost to implement the 2013 proposals from a person (details supplied) on restorative justice. [9924/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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This question relates to the proposals put forward by Mr. Justice Quirke in his 2013 report following from the earlier publication of the report of an Inter-Departmental Committee, chaired by then Senator Martin McAleese, which had been set up to establish the facts of the State's involvement with the Magdalen Laundries. The principal outcome of the Quirke report was the setting up of the Magdalen Laundries Restorative Justice Ex Gratia Scheme under the auspices of my Department. That scheme covers the 10 different institutions referenced in the McAleese report as well as the laundry that was attached to Stanhope Street Training School and the Training School in Summerhill.

To date, awards have been made to 669 women under the ex-gratia scheme at a cumulative cost to the the Justice Vote just over €25m. A further €254,000 has been paid to solicitors who advised applicants before signing the waiver.

These sums specified above do not include other proposals made in the Quirke relating to pensions and medical costs which are borne on the Votes of the Departments of Social Protection and the HSE respectively, details of which I do not have. The specified sums also do not include the staffing and administration costs of the dedicated unit set up in my Department to administer the ex-gratia scheme nor do they cover funding to the Irish Women Survivors Support Network (IWSSN).

There is not, as yet, a closing date for applications under the scheme but there is no indication that many more applications will be made. When the scheme is finally closed, an overall assessment of its cost involving all Government agencies will be made.