Jul

25

Religious orders miss deadline to submit financial statements

Filed Under Another Shady Deal? | 8 Comments

PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent

ANOTHER DEADLINE has been missed by religious congregations in presenting a report on their financial position to Government, as agreed by them following publication of the Ryan report last May.

Neither the Government nor all 18 of the religious congregations which managed institutions named in the report have met the mid-July deadlines they themselves set last month concerning reports on the financial position of the congregations. Though some congregations have presented such reports, others have missed a second agreed deadline.

At a meeting with the Taoiseach and senior members of the Cabinet on June 5th last, representatives of the 18 congregations which were party to the controversial 2002 redress agreement with the State, agreed that an independent report on their financial position would be presented to Government on June 24th.

They also agreed at that June 5th meeting to contribute to a trust the Taoiseach proposed be set up, so that further financial and other supports could be provided to people who, as children, had been in institutions they managed.

The congregations further committed themselves to identifying resources, “both financial and other, within a transparent process with a view to delivering upon commitments made today”.

However some of the larger congregations missed the June 24th deadline for presentation of details of their financial position and requested that they be allowed until September to do so.

They were given until mid-July and accepted that deadline which they have now missed also.

Following that June 24th meeting between representatives of the congregations, the Taoiseach and members of the Cabinet, a statement was issued by the Government stating that the congregations were expected to have submitted reports, “signed off by their financial advisers”, to Government “by mid-July when a further meeting will be held.”

It was also stated then that the Government would now move “to appoint a panel of three eminent independent persons to assess the material submitted by the congregations and report to Government as to the adequacy of these statements as a basis for assessing the resources of the congregations”.

Despite the passing of the mid-July deadline a week ago, some congregations have yet to submit a report on their financial position to Government; no further meeting between Government and the congregations is currently being planned; and the Government has yet to appoint the three person panel it promised to independently assess financial reports from the congregations.

A Government spokesman yesterday would only say that “dialogue [with the congregations] was ongoing” and “a process was working through”. It now seems unlikely that further progress will be made in any of these matters before September.

The Government is to announce its plans for implementation of the Ryan report recommendations at a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday. All 20 recommendations have been accepted by the Cabinet, including a memorial to victims of abuse in institutions which should bear the words of the apology made by the then taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 1999 and that the State should admit its failures and take steps to avoid a repetition.

It also recommended that religious congregations examine how their ideals became debased by systemic abuse and advised that more counselling, education and family tracing services should be provided. It said that childcare policy should be child-centred with the development of a national childcare policy, with rules and regulations enforced, breaches reported and sanctions applied.

It called for proper supervision and inspections, including unannounced inspections, objective national standards and follow-up of complaints. It said full personal records of children in care must be maintained and called for the Children First guidelines on child protection to be uniformly and consistently implemented throughout the State.

The Irish Times 25th July 2009

Jun

25

Religious bodies agree to report on finances

Filed Under Another Shady Deal? | 15 Comments

PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent

THE 18 religious congregations whose management of residential institutions for children gave rise to the Ryan report have agreed to present detailed reports on their financial position to Government by the middle of next month. The agreement was reached at a meeting with Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Cabinet Ministers in Government Buildings yesterday.

The reports, which must be signed off by each congregation’s financial adviser, will then be assessed “by a panel of three eminent independent persons”, according to a Government statement issued after the meeting.

The panel will “assess the material submitted by the congregations and report to Government as to the adequacy of these statements as a basis for assessing the resources of the congregations”.

There will then be further contact with the congregations to discuss the extent of their contributions to a trust proposed by the Taoiseach so that further financial and other supports can be provided to people who were in the institutions as children.

Representatives of all 18 religious congregations attended the meeting yesterday along with Mr Cowen, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe, Minister for Health Mary Harney, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, and Minister of State at the Department of Children Barry Andrews.

It is understood that some of the larger congregations had hoped to be given until September to prepare their financial reports.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Fr Joe O’Reilly, Irish provincial of the Rosminian congregation, said the three-person panel which would assess financial reports submitted by the congregations would be of the Government’s choosing and “be recognised by the public as independent”.

Speaking on behalf of all 18 congregations, he said it was expected that all would make full disclosure of their financial position, including assets abroad.

At a meeting with the Taoiseach and the same Ministers on June 5th, representatives of the 18 congregations agreed to an independent audit of their assets. They also agreed to contribute to the trust proposed by the Taoiseach and committed themselves to identifying resources, “both financial and other, within a transparent process with a view to delivering upon commitments”.

After the meeting Christine Buckley of the Aislinn Centre told Fr O’Reilly that in her view the Christian Brothers, the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Charity, who she said had been responsible for “the most barbaric acts” in residential institutions, were hiding behind him as spokesman for the congregations. It was her “huge concern” and “hope that the Government has copped on to the behaviour of most of the 18 congregations, not all”.

When Fr O’Reilly came out of the meeting he was also confronted by Robert Dempsey, who spent time at St Joseph’s industrial school, near Clonmel, Co Tipperary, in the 1970s. It was run by the Rosminians. Fr O’Reilly said he had met Mr Dempsey before and hoped to help him “in whatever way we can”.

The Irish Times 25th June 2009