Department denies budget cuts hit compensation awards

THE Department of Education has rejected claims that compensation payments to victims of institutional child abuse have been hit by budget cutbacks.

The department reduced this year’s budget to the Residential Institutions Redress Board by €2 million in last month’s emergency budget, but insisted this was because the level of awards made had been reduced rather than because any attempt was being made to influence the size of awards.

Abuse survivor and survivors’ rights campaigner Bernadette Fahy dismissed official apologies over the abuse scandal. She said the attitude of the Government and the minister for education towards victims was evident in the way the funding decision was made.

“The way they [the Redress Board] were ordered to cut funding was to reduce payments to survivors of institutional abuse, as if the payments weren’t little enough already. They did not say cut funding to legal teams,” she told RTE. “That gives you some idea of how sincere these apologies are.”

But the department later insisted it had “no control or influence” over awards made by the Redress Board. “The Redress Board is totally independent in making awards and whatever it awards the state pays,” it said in a statement.

“Every year money is set aside based on an estimate of the level and number of awards being made. If the awards exceed the amount set aside, more funding would be allocated to pay all awards. The amount set aside this year was reduced because of reduced award patterns.”

The Redress Board said it noted the statement by the department, in particular the pledge to honour whatever awards were made by the board. It said it was legally bound to be independent in making its awards.

“Since its establishment in 2002 the board has, and will until it has completed its business, continue to make awards in accordance with the Redress Act which are fair and reasonable having regard to the unique circumstances of each applicant.”

Since 2002 the board has finalised 13,190 applications, making an average award of around €64,000, although some applicants received €300,000, the highest award allowed. Some 1,394 applications have yet to be completed.

Abuse survivor Christine Buckley of the survivors organisation Aislinn said she felt the state had yet to make a full response to the findings of the Child Abuse Commission’s report and hoped victims needs would be better addressed.

“It is wrong that so many victims were forced to the Redress Board for paltry compensation before the full scale of this report emerged,” she said.

A total of €151m has been allocated to the Redress Board to continue its work this year. It is expected to finish dealing with all applications next year.