Below are questions asked in the Oireachtas, relating to Caranua and other areas relevant to survivors
Residential Institutions Redress Scheme
Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of appeals personnel working at Caranua; if they are full time or part time; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of appeals awaiting decision up to six months, 12 months, 18 months and two years at Caranua, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the length of time it is anticipated to take to clear the backlog of appeals at Caranua; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the appropriate time period for persons to wait before their appeal is decided; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will arrange for advocates acting on behalf of survivors and a delegation of survivors to meet the newly appointed appeals officer in order to avoid any inference of bias in view of the fact that meetings between Caranua and the appeals office take place regularly; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton): I propose to take Questions Nos. 423 to 427, inclusive, together.
Section 21 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 provides for the appointment of one or more persons to act as appeals officers to consider appeals against decisions of Caranua. The Act provides that the appeals officer shall be independent in the performance of his or her functions. While my Department provides administrative support to the appeals officer I, as Minister, have no role in the appeals process. Similarly the appeals process operates completely independently of Caranua.
I have recently appointed two new appeals officers who will be remunerated on a case by case basis. In appointing two appeals officers instead of just replacing the one appeals officer who has stepped down, I took cognizance of the backlog of appeals and would expect that this backlog would be reduced or eliminated over the course of the next 12 months.
I am advised that there are 148 cases outstanding. There are 45 applicants waiting up to 6 months, 62 between 6 and 12 months and 41 over 12 months.
For an appeals system to provide a service to appellants, the appellants shouldn’t have to wait an inordinate amount of time for a decision. However, it should be recognised that some cases are going to be more complex than others and that where a case is complex and requires further information or consolidation of information or maybe an oral hearing that this is going to require additional time.
The legislation provides for oral hearings for the hearing of appeals. The legislation doesn’t provide for meetings between the appeals officers and advocate groups or survivor representatives.
Residential Institutions Redress Scheme
Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the contracts received forMinisterial approval from Caranua to date in 2017; the date on which each application was received by his Department; the effective date of each contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton): Caranua wish to contract for a fully integrated financial software package in 2017 and this was sanctioned on 1st June 2017.
Departmental Reviews
Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date of the commencement of his Department’s review into the operations and eligibility criteria for Caranua; the persons appointed to carry out that review; and the terms of reference for same.
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton): The Deputy will be aware and indeed made a submission when the draft terms of reference for the proposed eligibility review was published on the Department’s website. The analysis of the submissions has been completed and will be published on the Department’s website shortly, together with the terms of reference. The actual eligibility review will be conducted internally.
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board
Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if Caranua has completed its internal review as indicated in the board minutes of July 2016 into changes made to the application process; and when the findings of the review will be published.
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton): Caranua is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. The review referred to by the Deputy and agreed at the Board meeting in July is, I understand, a review of the revised application process. I have asked Caranua to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
Residential Institutions Redress Scheme Eligibility
Deputy Fiona O’Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Richard Bruton): Caranua is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 to oversee the use of cash contributions of up to €110 million, pledged by religious congregations, to support the needs of survivors of institutional child abuse. The legislation provides that supports may be available in the areas of health and personal social services, mental health services, education and housing.
Where an applicant is not satisfied with how Caranua has dealt with his/her application, the legislation provides for an independent appeals mechanism. I am aware that there is a backlog of appeals in the system and I have recently appointed two appeals officers to try and deal with that backlog.
I have also asked Caranua to reply directly to the Deputy on this individual’s case.