Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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216. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason no regulatory impact assessment was conducted in respect of the Survivors of Institutional Abuse Bill 2024; her plans to complete and publish an RIA in advance of Committee Stage of the Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20712/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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A Regulatory Impact Analysis was not undertaken in respect of the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 because no significant impacts on the existing regulatory framework were identified in advance of, or during, the preparation of the Bill.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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217. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional benefits over those of the 'ordinary medical card' that accrue if a person is in possession of an 'enhanced medical card', as proposed by the Survivors of Institutional Abuse Bill 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20713/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 provides for the delivery of a range of health supports and services to survivors of abuse in residential institutions. This is the same package of supports as that which has been provided to survivors of the Magdalen Laundries under the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Act 2015 and which is currently being extended under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.

This ensures the provision, without charge or means test, of the following primary and community health services for those eligible:

• GP services;

• prescribed drugs, medicines, aids and appliances;

• dental, ophthalmic and aural services;

• home nursing;

• home support;

• counselling;

• chiropody/podiatry; and

• physiotherapy.

It therefore provides a statutory entitlement to a broader range of services than under the standard medical card, e.g. physiotherapy and chiropody/podiatry. In addition, those eligible for the package do not have to pay prescription charges, have access to an enhanced range of dental services and can attend a GP of choice, once that GP is registered.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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218. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the analysis undertaken to establish the number of survivors who may be entitled to an enhanced medical card pursuant to the Survivors of Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 already in possession of a medical card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20714/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Bill provides that enhanced medical cards will be made available to survivors who received an award of redress from the Residential Institutions Redress Board, or a similar court award or settlement. As the Deputy will be aware, the Redress Board operated on a confidential basis and therefore my Department does not have detailed information or data relating to those who will be eligible for the enhanced medical card.

However, a study undertaken on behalf of Caranua in 2015 found that more than half of survivors were living in the most disadvantaged 20% of areas in Ireland. For that reason, it is assumed that, in general, the proportion of survivors who hold a medical card is higher than that for the population as a whole. The Department’s working estimate is that 60% of survivors aged 45-64, 70% of survivors aged 65-69, and 95% of survivors aged over 70 hold a medical card.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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219. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the balance of funds remaining in the residential institutions statutory fund; the purposes for which those monies will be used; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20715/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Caranua was established in 2013 under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 to disburse funding supports to survivors from the contributions of €110m (€111.38m including interest) provided by the religious congregations following the publication of the Ryan Report in 2009. The 2012 Act provides that Caranua’s expenses, including both funding supports for survivors and administrative costs, must be met from the funding held in the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund. It is not possible under that Act to supplement this with Exchequer funds.

At this time, very limited funding remains available to Caranua (approximately €60,000) and this funding is being used to meet ongoing costs. The Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 provides that, upon its dissolution, the funding available to Caranua will be transferred to the Minister for Education.

It also provides that this funding will be utilised for purposes benefitting “former residents”, i.e. those who received an award of redress from the Residential Institutions Redress Board or a similar court award or settlement, and the publication of criteria by reference to which decisions regarding the utilisation of the remaining funds shall be made.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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220. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of applications approved by Caranua which remain incomplete; the length of time those applications have been ongoing; the timeline for the completion of those application/works, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20716/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Given the finite nature of the funding available to it, Caranua announced in May 2018 that it would cease to accept applications from 1 August 2018. After that date, it mainly focussed on processing applications on hand.

As part of this process, Caranua engaged extensively with applicants who had not completed the application process, as well as targeted outreach to certain groups, including survivors who were in prison, and established timelines for the provision of supporting documentation which would enable their applications to be progressed before Caranua was required to wind-down its operations. As the Deputy will appreciate, given the impending exhaustion of the funding available to it, Caranua was not in a position to allow applications to remain open indefinitely.

Caranua finalised all outstanding applications by March 2021.