Christian Brothers to pay final €8.8m owed to abuse survivors' fund

[Barbie]

Katherine Donnelly

November 16 2018 2:30 AM

The Christian Brothers have committed to paying the final €8.8m instalment to a €110m fund for survivors of institutional abuse.

They are one of a number of religious congregations that have contributed to a statutory fund set up to pay for educational, health and housing supports for abuse victims, through Caranua.

The congregations had committed to providing €110m for additional supports for abuse survivors who had previously received awards arising from the establishment of the Redress Scheme.

The fund now stands at €101.62m, while a further €1.38m has been earned in interest and the outstanding €8.8m from the Christian Brothers - to be paid early next year - will bring the total to about €111.8m.

The surplus of €1.8m - including €400,000 from the Christian Brothers' contribution - will go towards the new National Children's Hospital, currently being built on the St James' Hospital campus, as provided for in the legislation that established the fund.

The promise of the last instalment from the Christian Brothers follows the settlement of the row of the sale of lands for housing development at Clonkeen College, Dublin.

The operation of Caranua was the focus of an Oireachtas Education Committee hearing yesterday. Ned Costello, an assistant general secretary in the Department of Education, told the committee that since Caranua began accepting applications in January 2014, it had received over 6,500 requests. To date, €78m had been spent on services for applicants and 5,000 people have benefited directly. Other applications are under consideration.

However, committee members voiced concerns about a number of issues, including success rates in appeals against decisions, the €15,000 cap on awards and practice in relation to returning calls to the freephone.

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Committee chair Fiona O'Loughlin said it was likely that the committee would call for an independent investigation into the operation and management of Caranua.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/christian-brothers-to-pa...

[Barbie]

I have nothing against the New Children's Hospital, but the surplus of any money owed to survivors of abuses needs to be given to the survivors. We have survivors out there with nothing!

In the article it stated help with housing needs I have been refused any housing supports by caranua and the appeals officer, on the grounds that they didn't find that I had an exceptional need. I am in a private rented house under the RAS rent scheme and can be given a 30 day notice at any time with a special needs child and they tell me I don't have a need for a secure tenure.

[Graham]

That's a strange thing to happen, as I spoke to Mr Ned costllo, in and around this time and the only suggestion I put to him was" do the right thing" after pointing out a few home truths, I shall be watching with a keen interest how this whole development transpires, while continuing to engage with my legal team

[Graham]

I personally have no objection to donations to children's hospitals, make a wish Foundation,ect ect ect, but I definitely have an objection to caranua having anything to do with these contributions and their methods of distribution, they have let me down three time's on applications,and many others too, a separate trust fund please, run exclusively by survivor's and there apointies and chosen experts

[Pat Brennan]

I wonder will we ever get a final amount paid to Caranua in wages out of our funding or has anyone any idea how much it is to date.

[james penrose]

COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME, WHY WE THE SURVIVORS TO WHOM THE MONEY BELONGS ARE NOT BEING CONSULTED ON THIS MATTER. ARE THEY STILL TRYING TO KEEP US UNDERFOOT?

[pauline jackson]

I have never understood why some recieved such large sums and then others a fixed sum so much lower.what was the Reason as it was bound to raise questions.I have had no information at all.We are all facing problems now as we are old and many are ill and in need of help..as for the hospital it could be a memoral instead of other things preposed.