Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2004
149 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science if further institutions will be added to the list of those covered by the Residential Institutions Redress Board; if he will provide an update on the work of the board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21029/04]
View answerAt 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 schools, industrial schools, orphanages, children's homes and special schools, in which children were placed and resident and in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, to be added to the Schedule.
While inquiries have not yet been completed in respect of all institutions that have been notified to my Department as being potentially eligible for inclusion in a revised Schedule, I am considering proposals which will enable progress to be made on those institutions in respect of which the enquiries have been completed and these proposals are at an advanced stage.
On the basis of the most recent information available from the Residential Institutions Redress Board, the board has received 3,945 applications. To date, the board has made offers to 1,370 individual applicants. The average award is approximately €77,000.
The board provides regular updates as to the number of claims received on its website, www.rirb.ie. The redress board has recently finalised its first annual report which covers the period 16 December 2002 to 31 December 2003. The report has been laid before each of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
