Below are questions asked by TDs in Dáil Éireann, relating to Caranua

Review of eligibility to access Caranua

Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills when her promised review of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund will take place; and if she will consider including a provision to allow funding to be received by children or partners of victims of abuse, in view of the fact that without such funding, particularly for children, it will be very difficult to break the inter-generational cycle of hardship begun by State failures with regard to these persons, and that the awarding of such funding is the biggest need that some of the survivors have.

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Jan O’Sullivan): Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund, supports survivors of residential institutional child abuse in the areas of health, education and housing in particular. Eligibility for assistance is confined to those who received awards from the Redress Board or equivalent Court awards or settlements.

Eligibility is confined to former residents because of the limited funds available and the potential pool of some 15,000 applicants. To date just over €80 million of €110 million pledged has been lodged to the Fund. By end-February 2015, Caranua had made payments, valued at €14.8 million, to 1,476 applicants and had received over 4,000 applications. Applications continue to be received on an ongoing basis.

I intend to consider the question of a review of the Fund’s arrangements later this year by which time a clearer picture should have emerged regarding the uptake of the funding available.