Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Jul 2003

Vol. 570 No. 4

Written Answers. - Residential Institutions Redress Board.

Joan Burton

Ceist:

99 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Finance the role played by officials of his Department and the Office of Public Works in monitoring the implementation of the agreement between the State and the religious bodies in respect of victims of institutional abuse; if implementation of the agreement has been completed; if cash, property and other elements of the deal have now been delivered to the State; the cash and property so delivered; if there has been a delay in regard to a commitment by his Department that the deal would be completed and implemented by May-June 2002; the reason the hand over of cash and property is delayed; and when he expects the agreement to be completed. [19208/03]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

The negotiations concerning the transfer of property to the State under the terms of the agreement with religious congregations on their contribution to the residential institutions redress scheme are being conducted by the Department of Education and Science and representatives of the religious congregations. My Department is not directly involved in those negotiations.

The Minister for Education and Science dealt with the negotiations on the transfer of property by way of a reply to an oral parliamentary question on 10 June.

The religious congregations have paid the agreed cash contribution of €41.14 million as follows: €12,654,000 was paid on 5 June 2002, the date the indemnity agreement was signed; and four instalments of €7,121,500 were paid on 5 September 2002, 5 December 2002, 6 February 2003 and 6 May 2003.

No commitment has been given by my Department to complete and implement the agreement by any particular date.