Abuse survivors appealing funding refusal doubles

The number of survivors of child abuse in residential institutions who have appealed decisions to refuse them funding under a special assistance scheme financed by religious orders more than doubled last year.

A total of 99 appeals against decisions of Caranua — otherwise known as the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board — were lodged during 2015, up from 47 in 2014.

It comes after the Irish Examiner revealed in April that almost two complaints a week were made against Caranua last year by survivors of institutional child abuse.