Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 January 2019
127. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 436 of 6 November 2018, the status of an application by a person (details supplied) to the Magdalen restorative justice ex gratia scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3512/19]
View answerTo date just over €27.2million has been paid to 720 women under the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex Gratia Scheme
In my response to the previous Dáil question in relation to this particular case (Dáil Question no. 436 of 6 November, 2018), I informed the Deputy that the application falls to be dealt under the Addendum to the terms of the original Magdalen scheme. That Addendum, which derives from a recommendation by the Ombudsman in his report of November 2017, provides for persons who were not resident in any of the 12 institutions covered by the original scheme but who may have worked in the laundries of those institutions while resident in one of 14 adjoining institutions.
The Addendum is published on my Department's website (www.justice.ie). Any redress payment to be made under its terms will comprise two elements; a 'general' payment for the period of residency in the adjoining institution, and a 'work' payment for whatever period the successful applicant worked in the laundry of the relevant institution.
Applications to the scheme are now being processed and payments have issued to a number of women. Applications being considered include new applicants and women who had previously applied unsuccessfully under the 2013 scheme but who may now be eligible. Applicants under the Addendum, whose applications under the original Magdalen scheme were refused, are not being asked for information already provided. For those cases where there is insufficient documentary evidence available to make an assessment, an interview process is in place so as to facilitate a fairer assessment of a woman's application.
