The big shortfall in contributions made by the religious
congregations to compensating Catholic Church victims of of child abuse
is "unacceptable" according to Laois TD Sean Fleming who is chairman of
the Dáil committee that monitors public spending.
The costs of the redress scheme and child abuse inquiry has hugely
exceeded original estimates, according to a Comptroller & Auditor
General special report published today, Thursday, 9 March 2017.
The
Comptroller reports to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee Chaired by
Seán Fleming.
“The Comptroller & Auditor General report highlights the
spiralling costs involved in the operation of the redress scheme and
child abuse inquiry," said the Laois TD.
He said costs to the end of 2015 are an estimated €1.5 billion.
The
redress scheme accounts for the largest element of the costs, at an
estimated €1.25 billion.
The original forecast cost of the scheme was
€250 million.
“The report highlights that Government policy was to pursue the
sharing of the cost of redress on a 50:50 basis with the religious
congregations which would require the congregations to contribute €760
million. To date, the congregations have offered the equivalent to about
23% of the overall cost. Contributions received from the congregations
up to the end of 2015 represent about 13% of the cost.
“The contributions made by the congregations to date, and the delay
in making those contributions, are unacceptable and this is an issue of
serious concern," said the Laois Fianna Fáil TD.
Dep Fleming is also concerned that the State has allowed this to
continue and that more determined and stronger efforts were not made to
bring this to a conclusion before now.