Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2004
396 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science, further to Parliamentary Question No. 120 of 13 May 2004, when he intends to lay the list of additional institutions before the Houses of the Oireachtas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21623/04]
View answerAt present 128 institutions are listed on the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act. The institution referred to by the Deputy is not one of the institutions listed on the Schedule of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002. 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.
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. It has been necessary for my Department to establish if in fact the institutions identified to it are eligible for inclusion in the Schedule and this process has proven to be time consuming and is continuing.
However, while inquiries have not yet been completed in respect of all institutions, I can confirm that the Government has recently approved the addition of a further 13 institutions to the Schedule. In accordance with section 4 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002, I am currently making arrangements to have a draft of the order necessary to add these 13 institutions to the Schedule laid before each of the Houses of the Oireachtas in order to seek a resolution of approval.
