I am fully committed to honouring the commitments of the previous Government, of which I was a member, in respect of the Magdalen redress scheme. As the House is aware, a total of €25.9 million in lump sums has been paid to 691 applicants under the Magdalen laundries restorative justice scheme. In addition, qualifying applicants receive additional benefits under the scheme, including an enhanced medical card from the HSE and top-up pension payments from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
Last November, the Ombudsman published a report which was critical in certain respects of the administration of the scheme by my Department. The Ombudsman made four recommendations, namely, that women who worked in the laundries but were resident in adjoining industrial schools or training centres should be considered under the scheme; cases under the scheme where there has been a dispute over length of stay in an institution should be reviewed; assistance should be given to women who lack capacity to accept compensation; and central guidance should be developed in respect of any future restorative justice or redress schemes. The recommendation to consider residents of adjoining institutions raises some issues which will be addressed by an interdepartmental group as part of the process of implementation and I will be consulting with the Ombudsman as I take this process forward.
Last week, the Taoiseach and I, together with our officials, met the Ombudsman to discuss the recommendations in his report. The meeting was positive and constructive. Today I brought a memorandum to Government to update my Cabinet colleagues on the recommendations and the steps I am taking to implement them as quickly as possible, including a review of cases where there has been a dispute over length of stay and the provision of assistance to applicants who lack capacity. There will also be a focused and time-limited assessment of the modalities involved in applying the scheme to residents of adjoining institutions and of any related issues. I intend to return to the Government with final proposals on implementation. I will be working with the Ombudsman on the implementation of each of his recommendations and will be very happy to keep the Deputy and the House updated on progress on these issues.