Redress scheme: The State compensation scheme for victims of institutional child abuse has been allocated €170 million, a 42 per cent increase, for next year. Carl O'Brien reports.
Since it was set up in 2002, the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme has made awards to nearly 2,000 former residents of institutions at a cost of more than €150 million.
The Controller and Auditor General has estimated that the final number of claimants could be around 8,900, at a potential cost of €828 million.
The average award to date has been €77,000, though a €300,000 payment was made in one particularly severe case.
The figures do not include legal and other administrative costs, estimated by the Conttroller and Auditor General to be €15,600 per case.
Institutions covered range from industrial schools to mother-and-baby homes. The Government is considering adding more where abuse allegations have come to light.
Latest figures show the board has received 4,633 applications to date, and "continues to receive applications at a steady rate".
The board has refused applications from 71 individuals, because the institutions the individuals attended were not covered by the scheme.
In one case it decided to make no award following a full hearing, while two applicants have refused to accept awards made to them.
Meanwhile, former residents of a number of other institutions are now able to make compensation claims following last week's decision to extend the number of institutions covered by the scheme to 141.