Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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148. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the payments due by religious orders to the various redress schemes; the steps taken to recoup moneys owed; when she expects outstanding payments to be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19781/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I presume that the Deputy is specifically referring to the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex-gratia Scheme which is administered in my Department and the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme which is administered in the Department of Education and Skills.

In relation to the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex-gratia Scheme, the position is that my predecessor as Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, met with the four religious congregations involved in June 2013. They were asked to make a contribution to the cost of implementing the Magdalen Laundries Restorative Justice Ex-Gratia Scheme. Following reflection on the matter, all four congregations declined to make a financial contribution towards the implementation of the scheme.

The matter was discussed again by the Government on 16 July 2013 and following that meeting the then Minister wrote to all four congregations expressing his disappointment that they had decided not to make a financial contribution, pointing out that the Government was of the view that the congregations had a moral obligation to do so and urging them to reconsider. The congregations responded to that second request reaffirming their previous position. Further letters issued to the religious congregations in January 2014 and they again reaffirmed their position that they would not be making a financial contribution to the Scheme.

All four religious congregations are cooperating fully with the scheme with regard to providing the appropriate records available to applicants. My officials in the Restorative Justice Implementation Unit liaise with the religious congregations on a regular basis with regard to verifying records.To date awards totalling over €25 million have been paid to 672 applicants under this Redress Scheme

In relation to the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme I am advised by the Minister for Education & Skills, who has ministerial responsibility in this area, that the 2002 Indemnity Agreement between the Government and religious congregations provided for a collective contribution of €128 million from the 18 participating congregations in cash, counselling services and property with the cash element going towards the funding of the Redress Scheme. The Minister for Education and Skills also advises that the combined value of all contributions received to date under the Agreement stands at €117.8 million which represents 92% of the amount provided for in the Agreement. The Minister understands that all cash and counselling provided for in the Agreement has been received and that a small number of property transfers remain to be completed.

For the sake of completeness, the Minister for Education and Skills points out that in response to the call for further substantial contributions towards the costs of residential institutional redress made in the aftermath of the publication of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (the Ryan Report), many of the congregations that were party to the 2002 Indemnity Agreement made additional voluntary offers of cash and property. The cash proceeds of these offers do not fund a redress scheme as such but I am advised by the Minister for Education and Skills that the cash proceeds are being made available to Caranua (the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund) and that to date some €97 million in cash and associated interest has been contributed.