Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2014
356. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons who have appealed the decision of her Department to the Ombudsman relative to the Magdalen survivors ex gratia scheme; the outcome of these appeals to the Ombudsman; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47809/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraSignificant progress has been made on the implementation of the Magdalen Scheme. To date, a decision has been made on up to 88% of the applications received and 488 applicants have been paid their lump sum at a cost of €17.8 m. Each application is assessed on an individual basis, by my officials in the Restorative Justice Implementation Unit, taking into account any available records, documents and statements including the applicant's testimony. If the applicant disagrees with this assessment, she can, in the first instance, seek a review of her case by a senior officer. If the applicant disagrees with the Reviewer's decision she can request an independent review by the Ombudsman's Office. To date, 19 or less than 3% of the 689 applicants on whose cases a decision has been made, have requested their case to be reviewed by the Ombudsman's Office. Of these 19 cases, the Ombudsman has upheld the decision of my officers in 16 cases, 1 applicant withdrew her appeal and decisions are awaited on the 2 remaining cases.
