Department of Education and Skills – Residential Institutions Statutory Fund
Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount remaining in the fund allocated to Caranua for supporting survivors of institutional child abuse with their health, housing and other needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25153/19]
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Under Section 29 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 contributions from religious congregations towards Caranua are capped at €110 million plus any additional interest accrued or added to contributions. To date, a total of €105 million, comprising contributions of some €103.6 million plus added interest of €1.382 million, has been received by my Department and made available to Caranua. Accordingly, a further €6.4 million in cash contributions is required to achieve the capped amount of €110 million.
A substantial cash contribution remains outstanding from the Congregation of Christian Brothers. Completion of this contribution will ensure that the entirety of the €110 million provided for in the legislation will have been received. My officials are actively engaging with the Congregation in regard to this contribution.
Caranua publishes regular updates on its website (www.caranua.ie) regarding expenditure, applications, etc. The most recent update shows that to end April 2019, Caranua had expended some €85 million on supports and services and that it had open applications on hands from 1,882 former residents. Administration costs have also been incurred.
Department of Education and Skills – Residential Institutions Redress Scheme
Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if Caranua or another body directly notified or caused to be directly notified in writing, all known survivors of institutional child abuse in relation to their right to apply to Caranua for support with their health, housing and other needs prior to 1 August 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25154/19]
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Section 24 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 deals with the transfer of personal data from the Residential Institutions Redress Board on survivors. Under Section 24 (2) Caranua can use this information in order to determine whether a person is eligible to make an application to the Board and for no other purpose. Caranua would have acted illegally if it had contacted survivors on an individual basis.
Caranua advertised the August deadline through the placement of adverts in the following papers:
– Irish Sunday Mirror
– Irish Mail on Sunday
– Sunday Business Post
– Sunday Independent
– Sunday Times
– Sunday World
– Irish Sun
– Belfast Telegraph
– Irish News
– Irish Post (UK)
– Irish World (UK)
– Irish Voice (USA)
Caranua also distributed 10,000 posters to organisations that may work with people who may be eligible to apply for support funding for services from the Fund (local health offices, social welfare offices, GPs, post offices, libraries etc), asking them to share this information through their networks,
Where survivors were already in contact with Caranua, they did write to them to inform them of the date of the application deadline and to ask them to share this information with other survivors who may have not yet applied to Caranua.
Department of Education and Skills – Residential Institutions Data
Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if Caranua has processed applications for funding from survivors that were received after 1 August 2018; if so, the number of applications processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25155/19]
Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Caranua is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 and I have no role in relation to its day to day operations. I have therefore requested my officials to contact Caranua requesting it to provide the information sought by the Deputy directly to him. I should point out also that Caranua publishes regular updates on its website, www.caranua.ie, including statistical information regarding applications received and processed and expenditure incurred.