Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 January 2010
587 Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Education and Science the arrangements made to create an independent trust to support the needs of survivors of institutional abuse for general education and welfare purposes; the funds to be furnished by religious orders and congregations for such trust; if he will publish, in draft form, the documentation required for the establishment of such a trust; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3103/10]
View answer588 Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Education and Science the additional financial contributions to be made by religious orders and congregations to the redress board funds contributed to date in 2010 and which may be utilised in the future to make compensation payments to victims of institutional abuse; the proposals made by each religious order and congregation regarding both moneys and property by way of a further acknowledgement of their liability to the victims of institutional abuse. [3104/10]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 587 and 588 together.
The present position is that I have received individual responses from the 18 religious congregations that were party to the 2002 Indemnity Agreement, to the call for them to make further substantial contributions by way of reparation, following publication of the Ryan Report.
I will be bringing details of the congregations' offers of contributions, together with the report of the Panel appointed by the Government to assess the Statements of Resources submitted by the Religious Congregations, to the attention of the Government at the earliest opportunity. The arrangements for the publication of the Panel's Report and the offers of contributions from the religious congregations will be considered by the Government.
On the question of the uses to which the contributions will be put, the Deputy will be aware that in the meetings with former residents and the congregations, support was expressed for the proposal that the use of a further substantial contribution from the congregations should include a form of independent trust to be set up by the State which would be available to support the needs of survivors for general education and welfare purposes. The Government will consider the matter, in consultation with the representatives of the survivors and the congregations.
