Vol. 577 No. 3
312 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether a sufficient amount of advertising has been carried out in Britain to inform survivors of child abuse who could claim from the residential redress board of their rights and entitlements; the amount of money that has been spent to make these people aware of the redress board and the way in which to contact it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31281/03]
Section 5 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides that the board shall make all reasonable efforts, through public advertisement, direct correspondence with persons who were residents of an institution, and otherwise, to ensure that persons who were residents of an institution are aware of the redress board and its remit. The board commenced an advertising campaign in Ireland in December 2002 and the board has indicated that a targeted advertisement campaign in the United Kingdom will commence in January or February 2004. While the board has responsibility for making decisions on the level of advertising required, I am satisfied that its efforts to date have resulted in survivors being made aware of the redress scheme. I do not have details of the amount spent on this to date by the redress board as that is an operational matter for the board.
The Government, in devising its policies in the redress area, was conscious that a significant number of former residents of institutions had emigrated to the United Kingdom particularly in the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Therefore, five outreach officers were appointed to existing Irish centres in the UK in order to appraise and advise former residents that reside in the UK of developments in relation to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and the Residential Institutions Redress Board. The outreach services are funded by my Department and continue to operate and provide appropriate advice on the redress board and other matters.
313 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the institutions which are left off the list included in the redress scheme; the identity of each of these institutions; the reason they were left off the list; and when or if, he expects to be able to include them in the redress scheme. [31282/03]
There are 128 institutions listed in the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 and in respect of which former residents of these institutions, who suffered abuse, may apply for redress to the redress board. When that legislation was being enacted, it was considered possible that the Schedule may not cover all relevant institutions and, in order to ensure that institutions that may be identified at a later stage could be subsequently added to the Schedule, the provisions outlined in Section 4 were included in the Act. Section 4 of the Act allows that additional institutions that are identified as reformatory schools, industrial schools, orphanages, children's homes and special schools, in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, can be added to the Schedule.
My Department has received correspondence from both individuals and survivor groups identifying a number of additional institutions that may be eligible for inclusion in the Schedule. Discussions have taken place between my Department and other Departments that may have provided a regulatory function in the operation of these facilities in order to ascertain whether these institutions are in fact eligible for inclusion. It is my intention that a list of additional institutions will be brought before both Houses of the Oireachtas as soon as the verification process is completed.
