Thursday, July 07, 2011

€825 per day paid to redress board members

Twelve people who sit on the redress board for victims of institutional abuse were paid a total of €1.5 million in fees for 2009.

The average fees for part-time work by board members amounted to €115,000 each in 2009, according to the annual report of the Residential Institutions Redress Board, which was approved by cabinet a fortnight ago.

Members’ fees accounted for a massive €1.49 million, or a quarter, of the board’s total €5.8 million running costs in 2009. 

The 12-member board comprises solicitors, medical professionals and academics.

The fees paid to the board are in addition to payments to full-time staff employed by the Residential Institutional Redress Board, which is chaired By Mr Justice Esmond Smyth.

The 12 members are also assisted by one full-time and four part-time barristers, one fulltime solicitor, 28 administrative staff and a panel of medical advisers in dealing with applications to the redress scheme.

A spokeswoman for the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, said that a daily rate for board members of €825 was originally approved, but this was reduced by 8 per cent to €759 in March 2009. In January this year, a further 12 per cent reduction to €688 came into effect.

Awards to those claiming compensation under the redress scheme totalled €817million in 2009.

The single largest award was €300,500,while the average was €63,000.

Legal fees accounted for €21 million and were paid to 941 firms of solicitors, with almost a quarter of the total payments made to just four firms.

The biggest earner under the scheme was Peter McDonnell and Associates, receiving €2.84 million for representing 352 applicants. 

Byrne Carolan Cunningham solicitors was paid over €2 million, Burns Kelly Corrigan solicitors €1.9 million, and Lavelle Coleman solicitors €1.36 million.

The report shows that, of a total of 13,781 cases, the board made 10,169 offers of settlement and 2,401 awards. Some 60 per cent of applicants were male and 40 per cent female.

The Redress Board of 2009 comprised Mr Justice Esmond Smyth, Professor Desmond Greer, Dr Helen Cummiskey, Dr Ruth Pilkington, Anne O’Brien BL, Dr Mary Bluett, Dariona Conlon, solicitor, Dr Fionuala O’Loughlin, John A Campbell, solicitor, Dr Harry Bugler, Samantha Cruess Callaghan BL and Dr William Delaney.