Vol. 576 No. 1
205 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 346 of 4 November 2003, the progress that has been made in considering the eligibility of St. Luke's Hospital, Clonmel, as an institution under the terms of the redress scheme for survivors of institutional abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29184/03]
At present 128 institutions are listed on the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act. Section 4 of the Act enables additional institutions that are identified as reformatory, industrial, orphanages, children's homes and special schools, in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, to be added to the Schedule.
My Department has received correspondence from both individuals and survivor groups identifying a number of additional institutions that may be eligible for inclusion in the Schedule. Discussions have taken place between the Department and other Departments that provided a regulatory function in the operation of these facilities to ascertain whether these institutions are eligible for inclusion. The initial information received in some cases was scant due to the long period that had elapsed since these institutions were closed and therefore the process of verifying each of these institutions has been time consuming. The inclusion of St. Luke's Hospital, Clonmel, in an updated Schedule is still under consideration.
It is my intention that a list of additional institutions will be brought before both Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as the verification process is completed.
