Religious orders have almost completed transferring property worth €80 million to the State as part of the controversial deal to indemnify congregations against compensation claims from abuse survivors.
The majority of properties includes land which was leased to the Government, or where education and social services were being provided. Local authorities are understood to be considering using some of the newly-acquired lands for housing.
Discussions between Government officials and religious congregations are continuing over an €8 million property deal which would complete the transfer of properties under the indemnity agreement signed in June, 2002.
Under the terms of the deal it was agreed that 18 religious orders would pay a total of €128 million in cash and property as their contribution to a redress scheme for survivors of religious-run residential institutions in return for an indemnity against future claims.
Twenty-seven of the 62 properties were transferred to the State before the indemnity deal was signed. Some of the properties to be transferred shortly include those previously at the centre of child abuse claims, including an industrial school at St Patrick's, Upton, Co Cork, and the Goldenbridge group home in Dublin.
The terms of the indemnity deal came under sustained criticism last year after Opposition parties claimed it was too generous to religious orders, given the increasing costs of the redress scheme.
The Department estimated in June 2002 that the cost of awards would be €508 million.
However, a recent report by the Comptroller & Auditor General estimated that the final out-turn could be between €605 million and €828 million.
Officials say it is not possible at this stage to accurately determine the final cost of the scheme.
A spokeswoman for the Minister for Education, Ms Hanafin, said the properties had been chosen because of their use to the State, while it was up to individual agencies to best realise their value.
It emerged last year that the Government accepted just a quarter of the land initially offered by congregations after questioning whether it would be of use to the State.
Religious orders were asked to put forward a list of alternative properties to replace those refused by the State.
Fr Michael Drennan of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), which represents the religious orders involved in the negotiations, yesterday declined to comment.
The Southern Health Board, one of the biggest beneficiaries of land, said it expected properties transferred would result in the "continuation and enhancement of services currently being delivered." It is already providing services on most of the lands transferred to the State in its area.
The Labour Party's education spokeswoman, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, called for further information on the transfer of properties, what use they will be put to, and questioned whether some of the properties would ultimately prove useful to the State.
Latest figures for the redress scheme show that last September it had received 4,517 applications, and continued to receive them at a rate which was slightly less than 50 a week.
By the end of September the board had completed dealings with about 1,900 cases, with a total awarded of approximately €141 million. The remaining 2,600 cases were at various stages of the process.
