Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 January 2014
542. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality with regard to the settlement of claims made by survivors of Magdalen institutions, where written records relating to survivors are utilised in the assessment of compensation and such records are disputed by the survivor concerned by means of affidavit, the way it is proposed to resolve these conflicts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55222/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn cases where the religious congregations have no clear record, my officials will have to carry out a thorough examination checking whatever records are available to see if they support the claim.
The application forms requested applicants to consent to the provision of personal information to my Department by any Government Department, agency, health or educational institution and the religious congregations for the purpose of verification in relation to their application. The applicant will also be asked to provide any relevant information that could corroborate her claim that she was in a specific institution for a period of time.
On the basis of all of the records and statements available, my officials will make an assessment as to whether, on the balance of probabilities, the applicant was admitted to and worked in one of the institutions covered by the scheme and an assessment will be made on the length of time she spent in a relevant institution. Each case will be dealt with on its own merit.
If the applicant does not agree with the provisional assessment made by my officials she can appeal the decision, initially through an internal review process and if she is still not satisfied with the decision made she can appeal to the Ombudsman's Office. In all cases, before payments can be made, applicants are required to sign a statutory declaration confirming an honest and truthful application has been made.
