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	Redress Board Deadline on September 16th By Marie O'Halloran Irish Times July 15, 2011 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0715/1224300762547.html SEPTEMBER 16th is the last day on which applications can be made to the Residential Institutions Redress Board, which offers compensation to abused former residents of 139 industrial and reformatory schools, orphanages and children’s homes linked to the State. The board is being wound down under legislation introduced in the Dail yesterday by the Minister of State for Education. Ciaran Cannon confirmed that since its establishment in 2002, the board had received 15,173 applications and had finalised 14,645 cases, of which 925 were either refused, withdrawn or resulted in no award. Awards averaged ˆ63,000, with 36 per cent of cases resulting in payments of up to ˆ50,000. Forty-nine per cent received compensation of between ˆ50,000 and ˆ100,000, 13 per cent were awarded between ˆ100,000 and ˆ150,000 and 2 per cent of cases resulted in payments of between ˆ150,000 and ˆ300,000. Thirteen applicants refused awards. The overall cost of the scheme was estimated at ˆ1.1 billion but is now expected to reach ˆ1.3 billion. Expenditure to the end of 2010 had reached ˆ1.05 billion, including ˆ836 million in awards and ˆ158 million in associated medical and legal costs. Introducing the Residential Institutions Redress (Amendment) Bill, Mr Cannon said the Cloyne diocese report “reminds us once again of the horrors of child abuse and has highlighted the need for all involved to accept their role and responsibility”. This was the context for the Government’s call to religious congregations to pay on an equal basis with the taxpayer the costs “of the response to residential institutional abuse”, but the congregations were “significantly short” of the ˆ680 million donation required. The Minister said the failure of the State “to protect its vulnerable children is an indictment on us all and behoves us to ensure it is never repeated”. Outlining the reason for winding down the board, Mr Cannon said it was introduced as an “exceptional measure” to provide compensation for people who had been abused in State-linked institutions. From the outset, the board was “never intended to be a panacea for every injustice committed on children” but to deal with a “very particular circumstance”. Of the awards made, 78 per cent were as settlements and 19 per cent followed hearings. Three per cent were made under the appeals mechanism. Since the original 2005 deadline was extended, a further 1,540 applications for compensation were made, of which 725 were allowed, while further information is being awaited in 494 cases. Of the remainder, 220 were disallowed, withdrawn or had the file closed, while 36 were not valid. Sixty-five remain to be considered. Mr Cannon said the Government was satisfied that the board had provided former residents with a mechanism through which they could obtain “fair and reasonable” compensation. It had accepted applications for 8? years, a “more than adequate” period. The legislation would remove the power of the board to accept further applications “made on or after September 17th, 2011”.
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