Secret Meeting between the Minister of Education and Skills and Survivors "Leaders"

[Rob Northall]

I have been email a link to this Report of the Meeting with the Minister for Education and Skills

 

Written by Micheal J Walsh Wednesday, 27 July 2011 12:49

 Meeting with Minister re: Statutory Trust Fund

The opening segment of the meeting was an address by Minister Quinn, to all in attendance, which you can read a copy of this here.

After this it was then followed up with an opportunity for each group / Survivor to respond;

Right of Place Second Chance was part of a group of survivors who met with the Minister Ruairi Quinn in the Department of Education offices in Marlborough Street Dublin on Friday 22nd July 2011.

Essentially, we were there to receive a decision from this Government that the Trust Fund was to proceed to become law in the Autumn and that there is to be no cash payment to Survivors! Their decision was based on a consultation process, which is now complete and has moved onto the next stage. So what was or is this “next stage”?

 
The next stage allows Survivors to make submissions and amendments to the Statutory Trust Fund, but with no guarantee that any of the amendments will be accepted. So, it was within this context that Survivors were asked to make their presentations to the Minister.

 
Ashling were first to make their presentation, now I’m not going to give a blow by blow account of what exactly each Survivor said, we will put the minutes of this meeting up on this website for peoples own interpretation shortly. But, it is important to point out that only two groups expressed the wishes of their members, (1) Right of Place Second Chance and (2) the Cronin Brothers, that survivors wished for an equal pay out from this fund. All other Survivors, expressed support for the fund, expressed reservations about the fund and they wanted closure, to this long drawn out process, unfortunately without giving some indication of how exactly closure could be achieved.

Right of Place Second Chance were second to make our presentation and, of all the survivors present, it has to be said that our presentation was, by far, the best, most rational, presentation of all the Survivors. Why is this you may ask? The simple answer is that we had a professional who understood the Law. A survivor, who is a practicing Lawyer, and who studied the draft proposals for the Statutory Trust Fund.

Francis Treanor firstly outlined the fact that 99.9% of Survivors in the five regions that Right of Place Second Chance represent did not want the Trust Fund in its present form. Francis then went on to point out some of the weaknesses in the legislation itself, and the concerns these will have for survivors accessing this Trust Fund.

Finally, let me finish on this point: what is it that drives ministers and survivors alike to pursue an issue like the Trust Fund? Is it a genuine belief that what they are doing is going to benefit Survivors, or is it a shortsighted effort to disengage from a process that has not delivered justice for Survivors! How long will 110 million or thereabouts last?

So what do New Right of Place Second Chance want? Simply a solution to Survivor needs. And, until this is achieved we will continue to advocate for Survivors.

 

Source -

http://www.rightofplace.com/news/59-meeting-22nd-july-with-minister...

 

Bellow is my unanswered Correspondence on this Matter?

---

From: Rob. Northall [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: 11 July 2011 10:19
To: 'ONeill, Anne ( RIRU Athlone)'
Subject: RE: Press Release from Minister for Education & Skills - 5th July 2011
Sensitivity: Confidential

 

Dear Anne,

I have tried the link bellow and cannot find the Documents there??

 

I have read the Summary of Main Provisions of the Statutory Fund - July 2011.doc; it appears to only benefit Service Providers

 

Can you tell me who other than Midland Survivors Services (Coventry UK) have applied for Funding prior to the Bill being Read?

 

Your Sincerely

 

Rob Northall

---

From: ONeill, Anne ( RIRU Athlone) [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: 07 July 2011 15:00
To: [e-mail]
Subject: FW: Press Release from Minister for Education & Skills - 5th July 2011
Sensitivity: Confidential

 

 

To Whom it May Concern

The purpose of this communication is to thank you for contributing to the Consultative Process in relation to the Statutory Fund  and to advise you that the Minister for Education & Skills, Mr Ruairí Quinn, TD, has issued a Press Release in this regard on 5^th July 2011, a copy of which is attached below. 

Copies of the following documents are also attached for your information:

•  
  • Consultation Process Report
  • Summary of the Main Provision of the Statutory Fund
  • General Scheme of Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill

 

The Press Release, together with links to the above documents, is also available on the Department’s website www.education.ie

 

Yours sincerely

 

Melanie Hudson
Residential Institutions Redress Unit
Department of Education & Skills

Consultation Process Report.doc>> General Scheme of Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill.doc>> Summary of Main Provisions of the Statutory Fund - July 2011.doc>> Press release of 5th July.doc>>

 

If anyone can get the answer to my Question?

 

"Can you tell me who other than Midland Survivors Services (Coventry UK) have applied for Funding prior to the Bill being Read?"

 

Even Better!

 

 

[saenie morrison]

Michael J Walsh. I do not have a clue who you are, I have read the post that you put on this site, ROP first or second chance ? What solution are you thinking of, in my case the only solution is not handing out funds to ROP or any other ill concieved groups, the compensation belongs to the survivors and that may include your self and the other group personnel who say they represent us misfortunates, I have contacted a few of these "" Group leaders"" and expressed my determination to have them all investigated, and learn of the thousands of victims they profess to represent. So Michael, read my lips, no more groupies.

Respectfully yours.

Seanie 

[Geraldine ,O]

Noone has ever represented me nor have I had ANY help whatsoever from any of those so called groups ,they are just a Total Waste of Money. and acheive nothing for survivors It's another form of Abuse they want their funding to keep themselves and their friends in jobs ,as long as the Dept of Education carries on throwing Vast amounts at those so called Group leaders that is causing far more damage to survivors by burying true justice . Stop all the Funding to Groups . Compansate the Survivors so that we can all move on instead of trying to hold us all to Ransome  in the Past all the time ,That;s what those groups do. We should have been Educated when we were children for The so called Group Leader who  keep's banging on that we need to take an education course ,that is Insulting , they are only after the Huge Funding and could not give a fiddlers fart about the rest of us.  They must be investigated  and all their books must be handed over >Names checked that they claim and have claimed funding for , + they must show where every Euro went that they recieved over many years . CON< CON< Survivors have been CONNED

[Geraldine Jackson]

If it's anything like the education fund >we better forget it

[Geraldine Jackson]

13 years ago I contacted a certain well funded group to try and get help tracing my sister  I gave her details like name birthday were born ect + they wrote my name and detailes down  I HEARD NOTHING BACK AT ALL. now it's  2012 after going to the Salvation Army, Missing Persons, private investigator, I visited many Hospitals, Hostels, Social Services , so again now  2012 I rang again one of those who profess to offer services to survivors again they asked for Details again so I gave detail's again and GUESS WHAT I'V NOT HEARD A WORD BACK they haven't bothered to contact me . It's all about having our names on their lists to use to get more and more funding. their silence is deafening.  another reason why all those groups must have all their books checked  by an Independent body.

[john mc carthy]

Hi, Geraldine,  I have sent emails to the  minister of education and got no reply. As far as I can see this man is no better than the people who abused us. If mr quinn lived in the 1940 he is the kind that would aprove of the abuse that took place in the industrial schools. But because he did not he is doing it now with the help of the GOVERMENT SO IT WILL SOUND LEGAL and make him a herero in the eyes of the goverment as someone who helped us abused, this is only a ploy to shut us up as we are a pest on the goverment and not worth wasting there time.  If this GOVERMENT  is serious in wanting to help us we should have the right to put our views to the DIAL in person and not rush into doing whats best for Mr Quinn so he can gloatin that he got his way, and he stuffed the abused survivors again. It was bad enough that all the abusers got away scot free, now we have to suffer the worst abuser of this day and time. Whaa else can this GOVERMENT do to hurt us. thats all i have to say for now. Hope you are well.              John.  

[pauline jackson]

in all of these meetings why dident the group leaders suggest real things . childrens rights is all very well. But if children were taught thier rights instead of last minute help thay would be aware that its themselves who will be able to know who to turn to. i think that if children knew this thay would be carefull of themselves. thay need to know that no one should touch them. that its thier own body. these things are not taught but hidden. for the sake of children its easier to teach than repair.

[Geraldine Jackson]

Don't worry, at the end of the day good will always overcome Evil, The Dept of Education were responsible for The Industrial Schools  they  choose to turn a blind eye to the Neglect and Abuse of Babies and children   sentenced Illegally  as criminals  by the court to  Detention  and locked up for all or most of their childhoods  into  Brutal Industrial Schools ,It is therefore extreamly very Wrong  and Unjust that that same Dept should have any input or SAY when it comes to anything at all to do with the survivors of Industrial Schools. Who are those so called group leaders that have been attending secret meetings with that same Dept .????????against  the survivors wishes.  It is time they were forced to have their Books inspected .