Institutional child abuse claims list set to top 12,500

A LAST-MINUTE surge in compensation claims from survivors of institutional child abuse is expected to top 12,500 when the deadline for applications expires at midnight.

The final figure will be more than double the number of applications predicted when the Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) was established in 2002.

To date, the board has made around 4,500 offers of awards at a cost of €332 million.