Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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561. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount committed and paid by religious organisations to date, following the Ferns report, including any future commitments, in tabular form. [48817/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Ferns Report was presented to the Government on 25 October 2005 and was the result of a non-statutory inquiry established by the then Minister for Health and Children in March 2003. It does not, therefore, come under the remit of my Department.

However, the Deputy may wish to note that 18 religious congregations involved in the management of most of the institutions coming within the scope of the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme have made contributions towards the costs incurred by the State in responding to that abuse under two rounds: the legally binding 2002 Indemnity Agreement and the voluntary offers made in 2009 in the aftermath of the publication of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (the “Ryan Report”).

Some €125 million of the €128 million provided for under the 2002 Indemnity Agreement has been contributed, with the transfer of two properties remaining to be fully completed.

The voluntary offers made in the aftermath of the publication of the Ryan Report in 2009 included cash, properties and contributions in kind, and were valued by the congregations at €352.6 million. To date, contributions amounting to approximately €124 million have been received.

However, notwithstanding the above, it has been longstanding Government policy that the congregations concerned have a responsibility to provide further contributions towards the costs of redress.