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.