PAC to probe delay in institutional abuse compensation

A fund to compensate survivors of institutional abuse has 41 open applications and is set to close before the end of this year. File image.

The Public Accounts Committee has been asked to find out the reasons why a number of applications to the fund for survivors of institutional abuse are facing massive delays.

Caranua, the redress fund organisation first set up in 2012 to distribute compensation provided by religious congregations, still has 41 open applications yet to be resolved.

The fund, which was worth roughly €111m, is set to close at or before the end of 2020, and stopped taking applications in August 2018. Roughly €1.3m is understood to remain.

Fionna Fox, a pro bono solicitor for two of the survivors, told the PAC in her submission — which is set to be considered at the committee’s meeting on Wednesday afternoon — that Caranua had submitted a financial report for both 2019 and 2020 which remains with Cabinet.

She said that her clients have had applications outstanding since 2014 despite Caranua having agreed to provide the service.

Caranua said that its draft financial statement for 2019 had been submitted to the education minister on February 28 and had remained there for submission to Cabinet ever since.

Regarding the cases of the two survivors, the organisation said it could not comment on individual cases.

“However, Caranua is supporting the remaining 41 survivors with open applications to meet their expressed needs and satisfactorily complete their application,” a spokesperson said.

The two survivors represented by Ms Fox have both been successful in bringing their applications through the appeals process with the Department of Education after having elements of their requests denied.

One of those, Mr W, who has significant mobility issues, is waiting on approval for the funding of an extension to his home comprising of a bedroom and bathroom.

Ms Fox told PAC that the man cannot access the upstairs part of his home unassisted.

“He is forced to urinate in the backyard, and he sleeps in a chair,” she said in her submission.

She said that Mr W had been “finally” approved for funding by Caranua in February of this year. “However that funding has still not been provided,” she said.

Regarding Caranua’s imminent closure, she said that despite the Department of Education previously confirming to the PAC that “transitional arrangements” would be put in place to deal with outstanding liabilities, the department has since confirmed to her that no such arrangement will be provided for.

“This raises serious concerns for applicants, like my clients, who are still waiting for services,” said Ms Fox. “The independent appeals officer found that there has been an inordinate delay. There are questions in relation to Caranua’s use of preferred suppliers.” 

She alleged that regarding the second of her clients, a woman who applied to Caranua for housing assistance in 2014, with subsequent building work being carried out to a poor standard, Caranua had refused to acknowledge that its denial of funding had been overturned by the appeals office last month.

Caranua denies this, saying it “has not declined to accept a decision of the independent appeals office”.