Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 July 2017
121. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will prevent religious organisations that owe the State moneys under the residential institutions redress scheme for institutional abuse from being awarded patronage of new schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31813/17]
View answerTo date contributions amounting to some €220 million in cash, counselling and property transfers have been made by the 18 religious congregations who managed most of the residential institutions in which child abuse took place. These contributions are being made under two rounds: the legally binding 2002 Indemnity Agreement and the voluntary offers made in 2009 in the aftermath of the publication of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (the “Ryan Report”).
Some €123 million of the €128 million (or 96%) provided for under the 2002 Indemnity Agreement has been fully contributed including all cash and counselling commitments. Seven property transfers remain to be fully completed. Work to complete these transfers is actively progressing and I should point out that in most of the remaining cases the transfer process is at a very advanced stage . It should be noted also that most of the properties are already in use by the intended recipients.
The offers made in the aftermath of the publication of the Ryan Report, included cash and properties. I should stress that these offers are voluntary and do not form part of any agreement.
It is understood that much of the education property owned by the religious congregations (note that not all of the 18 did own such property) has been transferred to trusts and accordingly the issue of granting patronage of a school of an individual congregation is unlikely to arise.
As the Deputy may be aware, once it has been established from the demographic exercises that a new school, primary or post-primary, is required to meet the demographic need in a school planning area, a separate process is conducted to establish who will run the school.
It is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons to apply for patronage of a new school under the patronage process. Parental preferences for each patron, together with the extent of diversity currently available in the area, are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of this process.
