Abuse compensation - Public pays price for deal with orders

TAXPAYERS will be aghast next month when they finally learn the full cost to the public of the Coalition’s highly unsatisfactory exemption deal with religious orders involved in institutional child abuse.

By next month, compensation will be due to more than 12,000 survivors before the Residential Institutions Redress Board, double the predicted figure.

Thanks to a Fianna Fáil-inspired deal with the orders, their liability was limited to €128 million. With the final bill expected to exceed €900m, taxpayers will have to pick up the balance.