Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 February 2005
23 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of properties handed over to the State to date by the religious orders as part of the indemnity against compensation deal; if the €7 million still awaited by her Department from the religious orders has been forthcoming; if there is an estimated final cost of compensation for the victims of institutional child abuse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3008/05]
View answerUnder the terms of the indemnity agreement reached with the religious congregations, the property contribution of the congregations is divided into two separate and distinct schedules of properties. One is a schedule of properties to be transferred from the congregations to the State, State agencies or local authorities after the date of the signing of the indemnity agreement on 5 June 2002. The total value of these property transfers for the purposes of the indemnity agreement was to be €36.54 million. I can confirm that agreement in principle has been reached with the religious congregations on the transfer of 35 properties to the amount of €38.28 million. This figure of €38.28 million includes €4.98 million in cash that was provided by the congregations in lieu of property.
The other schedule of properties includes: properties transferred from the congregations to the State, State agencies, local authorities or voluntary organisations between 11 May 1999 and the date of the signing of the indemnity agreement on 5 June 2002. The total value of these property transfers for the purposes of the indemnity agreement was to be €40.32 million. I can confirm that, at this stage, transfers of 27 properties to the value of approximately €32.93 million have been agreed in principle.
The process of agreeing valuations on each individual property is continuing and my Department has written to CORI suggesting that it considers the payment of a cash contribution to cover any shortfall that may arise in the value of property transferred to finalise that part of the agreement. Further discussions are taking place with CORI on this matter.
While arrangements for the legal transfer of properties are the responsibility of the individual transferees, my Department will continue to liaise with the various transferees to ensure that all properties on which agreement in principle has been reached are legally transferred.
Estimating the final cost of the redress scheme remains problematic at this stage and it will not be until the redress board has completed its work that the final cost will be known. The scheme has been operating for approximately two years now and the redress board will continue to accept applications until December 2005. As it will take some considerable time to deal with all applications, the final outturn may not be known until sometime in 2007. The latest available estimate to my Department on the total cost of awards under the scheme, allowing for legal costs, is in the region of €610 million to €650 million, but this is a tentative estimate that may need to be revised in the light of applications received over the remainder of this year.
I should add that the final cost of the redress scheme must be viewed in the light of the very substantial costs that would have been incurred in any event if no such scheme had been established and if cases had been processed in the normal manner through the courts.
