Number of illegal adoptions associated with St Patrick's Guild rises to 151

Children's Minister Roderic O’Gorman is bringing a memo to Government colleagues on the review of illegal birth registrations, with plans to publish the report on Tuesday afternoon. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

The number of illegal adoptions associated with St Patrick's Guild has risen to 151, Cabinet will hear on Tuesday.

Tusla had previously established from the records of St Patrick’s Guild that at least 126 births between 1946 and 1969 were incorrectly registered.

Children's Minister Roderic O’Gorman is bringing a memo to Government colleagues on the review of illegal birth registrations, with plans to publish the report on Tuesday afternoon, Government sources have confirmed.

The publication of the independent report, which was commissioned in 2018, was deferred so as not to impinge on the work of the Commission of Inquiry into Mother and Baby Homes while it was ongoing.

The review is focused on a “targeted sample” of more than 100,000 adoption records held by State agencies.

Following the discovery of illegal birth registrations at St Patrick’s Guild, the Government appointed independent reviewer Marion Reynolds to conduct an analysis of other adoption records to determine how widespread the practice may have been.

Despite an extensive review of a number of institutions, St Patrick’s Guild was the only one in which illegal birth registrations were found due to “a marker which made them easily identifiable”, according to Government sources.

Personal injury case guidelines

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Helen McEntee will bring proposals to Cabinet on how the new personal injury case guidelines will be implemented,

The adoption of the new Personal Injuries Guidelines by the Judicial Council on Saturday was welcomed by the Government, which hopes the changes will bring down the cost of insurance. It is understood Ms McEntee will explain to colleagues how they can take legal effect as quickly as possible.

The Government says its overriding concern is to address "with urgency the economic impacts on businesses and consumers of high insurance costs", while ensuring fair compensation when someone is injured through no fault of their own.

On Tuesday, Ms McEntee will ask that the Government approves amendments to the Judicial Council Act 2019 and the Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act of 2003, which will cover the transition from the existing system, which is based on the Book of Quantum, to the new system based on the new Personal Injuries Guidelines.

The new Personal Injuries Guidelines will apply to all cases that have not yet been assessed by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. This means the new Personal Injuries Guidelines will apply to actions brought after the date which the guidelines come into operation and to claims made to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) which have yet to be assessed.

For current cases, the Book of Quantum system will still apply where proceedings for damages before the courts have issued and where applications have been made to the PIAB where an assessment of the claim has been made.

It is intended the new system will take effect within weeks.

Government sources say the guidelines "offer an opportunity to bring consistency, reduce litigation and potentially reduce awards" which they believe are a major driver of insurance costs and which are higher in Ireland relative to neighbouring jurisdictions.