Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2004
242 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a school (details supplied) was not covered by the Residential Institutions Redress Board Act 2002; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28284/04]
View answerAt present 128 institutions are listed on the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act and I have recently received the approval of both Houses to include a further 13 to this Schedule. For an institution to be added to the Schedule it is first necessary to establish that it is an institution in which children were placed and resident and in respect of which the State had a regulatory or inspection function.
It was not possible when the Act was passing through the Houses, or when I was considering what institutions should be included on the forthcoming Order, to have inquiries completed on all of the institutions that had been brought to my Department's attention. The institution referred to by the Deputy was one of those institutions in respect of which inquiries had not been completed.
My Department is liaising with the Department of Health and Children and other interested parties on those institutions and further consideration will be given to their inclusion in the Schedule when this process is finalised.
