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May we refer to the article Abuse Claims: “why so few before money was offered” Irish Examiner, 6th September, 2008 – Letter from Hermann Kelly.
Mr Hermann Kelly fails to understand while the number of claims of abuse has increased and the overall compensation package will cost €1.1 billion; the controversial secret deal the Irish Religious Orders struck with the Irish State limits their liability to €128 million – of which only €76. 8million has been paid.
The rest of this figure is paid by the taxpayer and many firms of Solicitors and Barristers will paid up to €250 million in costs by the time the Redress Board compensation is finished.
What has happened here is entirely without precedent in our experience.
The Irish Government politicians, and their colleagues, who included firms of Solicitors and Barristers held meetings of which they kept no record.
They made an agreement in principle at those meetings that had huge implications for the State.
That agreement in principle was endorsed by the Government without so much as a scrap of paper being put in front of the cabinet, in defiance of all understood rules and guidelines.
It was publicly announced but with none of the terms of the actual indemnity being explained.
Detailed negotiations on this complex legal and financial matter were then continued without the former Attorney General Michael McDowell being properly involved.
And the final package was put to Government on its very last day the Dail was dissolved, and passed by the Government even though the former Attorney General Michael McDowell had, belatedly, been able to put together a strong warning abut ( be next to or touching) the dubious nature of the package.
This was an irresponsible, rushed and entirely disreputable process, which reflects no credit on anyone involved.
Perhaps Mr Hermann Kelly ought to contact The Public Accounts Committee to find out what went wrong here, and why.
Albert King on behalf of Mary King. (victim of institutional child abuse).Email the writer.