Summary of Main Provisions of the Statutory Fund
Eligibility
Those eligible for assistance from the Fund will be those former residents who were offered awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) or who received awards pursuant to court actions and who would otherwise have received awards from the RIRB.
Functions/Provisions of the Statutory Fund
The principal function of the Statutory Fund will be to make arrangements for the provision of approved services to support the needs of former residents and to pay grants to former residents to assist them to avail of approved services.
Approved services will include such counselling services, psychological support services and mental health services, and such health and personal social services, educational services and housing services as the Fund may determine.
The Fund will also promote understanding of the effects of abuse on former residents among service providers and will evaluate the effectiveness of the approved services in meeting the needs of former residents.
The Fund can consult with former residents as it considers appropriate.
Funding for the Statutory Fund
The costs of the Fund will be met from the contributions from the religious congregations, which will be lodged to a special investment account managed by the National Treasury Management Agency. These contributions will be construed as fulfilling a charitable purpose. It is expected that the amount available to the Fund will be €110 million.
Administration of the Scheme
The Fund will be established as a corporate body. The Board of the Fund will comprise 7 members, including 2 former residents, and insofar as is practicable, the Minister will ensure an equitable gender balance. In appointing the other members of the Board, the Minister will ensure that members have knowledge and expertise in relation to financial management, administration, health and social personal services and counselling, psychology or mental health services.
The members will not be remunerated and will serve a four year term of office but will not be eligible to serve for more than 2 consecutive terms.
The chief executive officer of the Fund will manage and control the administration of the Fund and will be accountable to the Public Accounts Committee and other Oireachtas Committees. The accounts of the Fund will be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The Fund will appoint, with the consent of the Minister, such and so many persons to be members of the staff of the Fund as it may from time to time determine.
The Fund will seek to achieve the most beneficial, effective and efficient use of the resources available to it. It will be subject to the terms of the Freedom of Information and Ombudsman Acts.
Applications
Provision is included in the General Scheme to allow the Residential Institutions Redress Board advise the Statutory Fund of the name, address and date of birth of award recipients. Such a provision will allow the Fund to confirm applicants’ eligibility.
The Fund will determine the extent of, and conditions attaching to, the provision of approved services. It will determine the criteria it will use to make decisions and will publish these criteria. It will determine the application process and will be able to refuse applications not made in accordance with the approved process.
The Fund will liaise with public service providers in relation to the provision of services to former residents.
Education Finance Board
The Education Finance Board will be dissolved and its functions transferred to the Fund.
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This posting should have been added to the above comment.
Letter, Re Protest to be held outside the Dail.
OUR MONIES
A Protest meeting is being organised by Mr, Tom Cronin shortly, and will be held outside The Dail. This protest is in regard to the New Statutory Trust Fund, and the way this government refuses to listen to the voices of Survivors of Institutional Abuse, and their concerns about the way (Survivors) money will be distributed.
We urge All Survivors to support this very just cause, and to voice your OWN opinions on HOW YOUR MONEY should be distributed. Come out, and protest with us, it may well be our Last Chance. Don’t let this government tell us HOW to spend OUR OWN MONEY.
Please watch this Site for further details, and updates regarding this protest.
Please click on the file below to read the Letter, thank you.
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Letter, Re Protest to be held outside the Dail.
OUR MONIES
A Protest meeting is being organised shortly, and will be held outside The Dail. This protest is in regard to the New Statutory Trust Fund, and the way this government refuses to listen to the voices of Survivors of Institutional Abuse, and their concerns about the way (Survivors) money will be distributed.
We urge All Survivors to support this very just cause, and to voice your OWN opinions on HOW YOUR MONEY should be distributed. Come out, and protest with us, it may well be our Last Chance. Don’t let this government tell us HOW to spend OUR OWN MONEY.
Please watch this Site for further details, and updates regarding this protest.
Survivors call for reopening of Redress Board
by Rebekah Commane
MONDAY, 30 APRIL 2012 18:15
SURVIVORS of institutional abuse are calling for the reopening of The Redress Board and for more transparency on plans for a €110 million trust fund. The Right of Place/Second Chance Group believes that many people were not ready to come forward to the Board and apply for compensation while it was open, but they may now want to do so. In its recently published annual report, the group also called on the government to publish plans for the trust fund contributed to by 18 religious congregations. Right of Place/Second Chance Outreach Co-ordinator for HSE West, Val Groarke, said the group is worried that the government are dragging their feet in coming up with criteria for recipients of the fund.
He urged the government to supplement the fund on an annual basis to allow survivors who have not yet come forward, to access it.
“I believe that there are a lot of people out there who didn’t get the redress,” Mr. Groarke told the Limerick Post.
“Because the government had it shut down, we’re pushing for them to reopen it and leave it open for another few years.
“Just because some of us were ready, it doesn’t mean that everyone was”.
He said that while some survivors of institutional abuse in Limerick may have received compensation from the Redress Board, the damage inflicted continues to resonate.
Mr. Groarke also called for the children of survivors to be able to access the Trust fund, explaining that what happened to survivors also affected the quality of lives of their families.
The Galway/Limerick and western offices of the support group were contacted by clients 693 times from March 2011 to February 2012, and in one-fifth of these incidents, approaches were made by the dependent of a survivor.
“Money doesn’t give you back what you lost, like an education,” Mr. Groarke continued.
“A huge amount of our people have not worked for most of their lives and a lot would have got ‘low class’ jobs.
“A lot of survivors wouldn’t be able to read or write”.
Right of Place offers outreach and support to survivors in education, health, housing, employment, welfare, social issues and much more.
“If they have a problem we want them to know that there is a service here. They can just lift the phone”.
The Right of Place Limerick office is based in the Friends of the Elderly premises Carey’s Road, and is open to anyone who wishes to avail of its support
Meetings are held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and are open to all to call in for a cup of tea and a chat.
Cardinal Brady statement expected later after abuse-information allegations
Wednesday, May 02, 2012 – 08:37 AM
Cardinal Sean Brady is expected to give a statement later about claims in a BBC documentary that he failed to act in 1975 to save children from being abused by paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth.
The ‘This World’ programme found that Cardinal Brady, the a recorder of evidence at a secret internal church inquiry in 1975, had the names and addresses of children who were suspected of being abused.
But the programme found no action was taken against the paedophile at the time, and for some of the children the abuse allegedly continued for years after.
The hour-long programme, aired last night, included evidence from Brendan Boland, who had been abused during the 1970s.
At the age of 14, he was the first child to tell his parents he was being abused. He also gave the secret inquiry a list of other children he believed were victims.
“There was a boy from Belfast, I gave his name and address,” said Mr Boland in the documentary.
“A girl from Belfast, I gave her name and address. A girl from Cavan, I gave her name and address. Another boy from Cavan, I gave his name and address. And there was another boy who was his friend.”
Mr Boland said he had witnessed one of the boys being abused and was told by another that he had been a victim too.
In 1975, Cardinal Brady was a priest and a teacher in Co Cavan when he was sent to investigate the sex abuse claims.
The BBC documentary claimed he passed the evidence on to the then bishop, but no action was carried out against Smyth.
A statement is expected from Cardinal Brady later today.
Details of the secret 1975 inquiry were unearthed previously, but the fact that Cardinal Brady had names and addresses of possible victims only emerged in last night’s documentary.
The Primate of all-Ireland had previously claimed he would resign if he were to have failed to act upon allegations of sex abuse.
“I would remember that child abuse is a very serious crime in civil and canon law,” Cardinal Brady said previously.
“It is a grave sin. If I was aware my failure to act had allowed or meant future children were abused, I think I would resign.”
I saw a journalist on you tube trying to ask him about this matter. he replied that he dident have the time as he was going to say mass. its another case of laws for the nuns and priests arent the same as the rest of us . he wasent in any state of grace nor has he been since he decided to ignore the whole problem. when he knew of the dangerous situation children were living in. he told the bishop and thats all he did. mr brady all by himself is enough to put anyone off religion. I find him disgusting and feel no respect for him at all. there are good and bad people everywhere but many of the baddies make a life for themselves in the catholic church.he represents this church so there isint any sincerity in his preaching. do what you are told to do and dont question me thats his message.
Dail protest, 10.30 Thursday 03/05/2012.
Mr Tom Cronin, tomorrow morning goes to protest outside the Dail at 10.30, in regard to the Government’s blatant intentions to push through the New Trust Fund. A Trust Fund which almost ALL Survivors are completely against.
The government states it has listened to Survivors views regarding this Trust Fund.
What it has done is listened to the views of the groups, who purport to speak on behalf of Survivors, and has NOT asked (1) Survivor what they wanted. They went through this process only for the purpose of saying, we asked everyone for their opinion, but was NOT going to listen which or whether.
The leader of the group MSSS, was asked by Tom, if they would be supporting this protest, and maybe have some members present outside the Dail on the day. He was informed by the leader of MSSS, that it was a good idea, and told Tom he would get back to him on the matter.
The following day, Tom also called the Outreach Coordinator for (Right of Place Second Chance) Mr Francis Treanor to inform him of his intentions also, and Mr Treanor replied, he would have to pass it by the (Chairman) of the group Mr Michael Walsh, who also replied he would get back to him.
Well, tomorrow, we will see for ourselves, whether or not these two group leaders are really, for this Trust Fund, or Against it. Their attendance, or their Absence im sure will speak for itself.
We Will be watching
Protest Held Today outside Dail Eireann, 10th April 2010.
I seem to recall, not so long ago when the group (Right of Place Second Chance) clearly stated that they were the only group fighting against the Statutory Trust Fund. I have always had my doubts, and suspicions about this statement.
On today, Thursday the 3rd of April at approx 10 oclock Mr Tom Cronin, and his Brother, after travelling all the way from Cork, was outside of Dail Eireann, protesting against the implementation to this New Trust Fund. He was accompanied by his Brother Paul, and also met up with them were, Mr John Kelly, (SOCA) and Mr Vincent Hackett.
They said it was a good day overall, and even managed to meet with about (40) TD’s during the day.
They spoke about having a choice on how this Unjust Statutory Trust Fund ought to be distributed.
Those Survivors who wished to have a lump sum paid to them by this Fund, should be accommodated, and their wishes should be honored.
Those Survivors who’s choice it was to have a pension, should have their wishes granted, if that was what they wanted.
We do NOT need politicians, and this government telling Survivors what they will, or wont have, this IS a choice for the Individual Survivor, and NOT the Group Leaders, or the Government Tom stated.
A meeting was held a few days earlier in Cork to highlight this event, where Tom told a small gathering of his intentions. A couple of group personnel attended this meeting.
A member of the group (Munster Survivors Support Services) accepted this would be a very good idea. When asked if they could possibly get some people from this group to support the event, the group leader said He would get back to him.
Mr Cronin, the following day called the coordinator of the group (Right of Place Second Chance) Mr Francis Treanor, if possibly they could afford some assistance from this group to support this worthy cause. Again Mr Treanor said, he would need to put it to Mr Walsh, (Chairman) of (Right of Place Second Chance) Needless to say, Tom is Still waiting for a reply from (BOTH) of these groups.
This leaves me to believe what i have been saying all along from day one, that these groups, telling Survivors they are acting in their interests, fighting Against this Trust Fund, were not telling the truth, right from the very start.
If they had the Survivors interests at heart, they would have been up in Dublin today, Thursday the 10th April, lending their true support to Tom Cronin, and the Survivors who came to assist him in his efforts to have this Unjust, Unaccepted, and Unlawful, Trust Fund Revisited. Something these group Leaders were Supposed to be doing.
I would like personally, to thank Tom, and his collegues who found the time to travel today to Dublin, and speak for the Survivors who wish to have their say in the way this Trust Fund should be distributed.
As for (Right of Place Second Chance) and (MSSS) all i have to say to these people is, you ought to be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves. Call yourself group leaders? This is your job, after all. ROP you are being funded for your (So Called Membership) but you are doing Nothing for them. You’re Dispicable.
We can ALL clearly see now, who is working for the Survivor, and who is not. But then again lads, we Always knew this from the very start, did’nt we? You may be fooling most of your (So Called Membership) but you are NOT fooling us.
No one from (Right of Place Second Chance) or from (MSSS) bothered their Blarney to attend this important gathering today, or even bothered to send a representative body in their absence. This speaks volumes to me.
This Proves to me, that (Right of Place Second Chance) and any other group that have been telling Survivors that they were fighting this New Trust Fund, WAS NOT giving the right information from the very start.
I wonder, what type of excuses we will hear from these Groups now, for their absence from such an important event?? It should make for very interesting reading.
These groups Never Have, and Never Will help Survivors, and i ask the HSE, and any other organisation that continue to fund these Parasites to STOP this waste of Taxpayers money once and for all. How many times must we spell it out.
MOSSIE YOU KNOW YOU WERE NOT GOING TO GET A REPLY
OR A STATMEMT FROM ROP OR MSSS,
ALL THEY WANT IS MONEY MONEY MONEY FOR THEIR
OWN COFFERS AND THEN DRAIN THE MONEY AWAY IN WAGES AND EXPENSES LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN DOING
ALL ALONG.
ROP HAVE MORE OFFICES THAN THE UNITED NATIONS
THE TWO WALSHES AND TREANOR ARE MAKING A FORTUNE
ON EXPENSES TRAVELING TO AND FROM THESE OFFICES.
IS IT NOT STRANGE WE NEVER GET THEIR WAGES AND EXPENSES ON THEIR ANNUAL AGM REPORT JUST A LOAD OF RUBBISH FROM TREANOR WITH HIS LEGAL JARGON AND LIES BUT MARK MY WORDS JUSTICE IS ON THE WAY.WE
HAVE BEEN LIED AND ROBBED OF OUR RIGHTS LONG ENOUGH.
Archbishop calls for sex abuse inquiry
By Noel Baker
Monday, May 07, 2012
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin yesterday called for an independent international commission of inquiry to be established into the crimes of the late Brendan Smyth.
His suggestion came as Cardinal Seán Brady continued to face criticism over his role in an early Church investigation into Smyth’s activities in the 1970s.
Since the airing of a BBC documentary last week, in which Cardinal Brady’s role in the investigation was scrutinised, he has come under increasing pressure to step down.
Yesterday, the Sunday Times reported that an unidentified victim of Smyth’s claimed that Smyth used to visit St Patrick’s College in Cavan even after the then-Fr Brady had been told of the abuse of Brendan Boland, the subject of the BBC documentary.
Mr Boland was then a pupil at the school, while Cardinal Brady taught at St Patrick’s at the time.
A spokesman for Cardinal Brady said: “He never met [Smyth] or spoke to him.”
Archbishop Martin said yesterday the victims of abuse were owed an inquiry and that it would be better for the full story to emerge “and not bits and pieces”.
The secular inquiry would work north and south with Church and State, he told RTÉ, adding that while the idea of commissions was “not fashionable”, it was necessary as the Smyth story was “of such a dimension”.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore described it as an interesting proposal and said: “I would be supportive of anything that would help in this.”
Yesterday, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Colm O’Reilly said the interview methods used by Cardinal Brady during the investigation into child sexual abuse by Smyth were “bizarre”.
The BBC documentary outlined how child victims alleging abuse by Smyth were interviewed in private, away from their parents.
Smyth’s victims have said Cardinal Brady could have done more to ensure Smyth was brought to justice or removed from positions in which he had contact with children far sooner.
On RTÉ’s This Week yesterday, Bishop O’Reilly said the children should not have been interviewed in private, but he questioned whether the authorities here would have “been able to take on that challenge” of dealing with Smyth.
However, while he said Smyth being allowed to continue to practise was “an appalling outcome”, he also claimed Cardinal Brady should not have to step down, as he had acted in good faith and had done what was required of him at the time.
He said Cardinal Brady would not want the issue to “simmer on” and believed he will “act in accordance with his own conscience”.
Yesterday, the Catholic Communications Office said Cardinal Brady had offered to meet Mr Boland, whom he interviewed as a teenager in the 1970s, to apologise.
It is understood Mr Boland wants a public apology, which has not been forthcoming.
Bishop O’Reilly said he was unsure why there was a reluctance to issue a public apology. “I don’t know what is necessary to bridge that gap,” he said.
Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/archbishop-calls-for-sex-abuse-inquiry-193106.html#ixzz1uAvCHMFz
Statutory Trust Fund Bill to be read this 8th to 10th May source @PaddyGodSquad http://bit.ly/HPDujM If you have never sent an email to TD’s before now is the time to urge them to vote down this Bill!
To use a trusted bulk emailer that will send your email to all TD’s Click http://bit.ly/IentBC
Tom Barry said the ongoing fallout from the Church’s handling of the paedophile priest Brendan Smyth showed how “very, very poorly” it had dealt with the abuse issue as a whole.
Mr Barry said: “All that can be done at this stage is redress to the victims. Dealing with that, and sorting that situation out, would show a penance on behalf of the Church. The problem is, that has not occurred.”
He said the Church would “continue to be embroiled in controversy unless they wrap up each situation as they meet it”, with redress central to the process.
“The victims were absolutely treated horribly. We’ve seen it in the Cloyne report and others. The Church needs to pay those victims.”
Mr Barry, himself a weekly churchgoer, said the case could be made for re-opening the embassy if and when the Church had fully addressed the issue of compensation.
“But until that happens, I don’t see any need to open it again. The crimes that hKave been committed against children are absolutely horrible.”
His position appears noticeably different to some of his Fine Gael colleagues who have supported the reopening of the embassy without setting any preconditions.
Mr Barry said the Vatican was a “very wealthy state” and had the resources to pay compensation to victims of abuse.
“I don’t particularly mind where it comes from, as long as there isn’t a second collection in the churches to pay for it.
“The suggestion of a second collection in the churches, to me, would only re-victimise, if I could use that phrase, the victims.”
He acknowledged that the Vatican, like any state, needed significant revenues to function, but said there appeared to be too much of a focus on wealth.
“The Vatican has the resources to provide the monies to these victims… But the Church itself should not be concerned about wealth.
“Our Lord walked this world with hardly any worldly possessions on him. And it appears to me that there’s a huge concentration on wealth.”
The Church last year announced a €10m fund over five years for an expanded counselling service for survivors of abuse, on top of €20m already spent over previous years on such services.
Separately, the 18 religious orders involved in the State redress scheme for survivors of institutional abuse have committed to contributing cash and property with a combined value of €473.5m.
However, the State is seeking further contributions, as it wants to split the cost of the scheme, which is now set to exceed €1.36bn, on a 50-50 basis.
That would mean the orders agreeing to contribute over €200m more.
Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/redress-victims-before-embassy-reopens-193092.html#.T6gdQ-m1ASA.email#ixzz1uDI9qgwt
Celebs join bid to halt ‘insulting’ memorial
A CAMPAIGN to block an “offensive” €500,000 state memorial to victims of residential abuse has attracted a string of high-profile signatories.
Almost 300 people — including Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker, historian Diarmaid Ferriter and Bruce Arnold, author of the industrial school critique ‘The Irish Gulag’ — have lent their names to a petition to be handed to Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Those behind the ‘stop the memorial’ campaign say the proposal is premature and insulting, considering that the fallout from revelations about clerical sex abuse is ongoing.
The state memorial plan follows a recommendation in the 2009 Ryan Report to erect a monument with the wording of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s apology in 1999.
The successful bid for the contract is due to be announced next month. It was commissioned for €500,000 by the Department of Education and administered by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
But UCD modern historian Diarmaid Ferriter said: “The idea of a monument might be good for people who want to draw a line under this — but it’s something of an insult too for those who are still dealing with the horrific things that have happened to them.”
Neither the OPW nor the Department of Education would comment last night.
- Mark Hilliard
Princes of church
In considering the cry for the resignation of Cardinal Brady, one has to distinguish between deliberate, culpable actions and actions issuing from incompetence.
Clearly, it is mainly through incompetence that Catholic bishops have done irreparable damage to the church. It will not matter much if all or none of them resign. What will matter is if we see the church unchanged in its perception of its role and in the manner in which it conducts its relationships with its priests and its people, and in the way that bishops are appointed.
The church in Ireland can never return to its former glory; it would be in nobody’s interests if it did. The organisation of the church under current hierarchical arrangements is clearly dysfunctional and no longer fit for purpose. Sadly, there are already some hints that the central organisation in Rome will redouble its efforts as it steadily loses sight of its aims.
Bishops on appointment usually talk about how unworthy they are of the post. If this is a genuine feeling it should be sufficient indication that they may have been ill-advised to have accepted the offer from Rome in the first place but, being human, they may have been tempted by the lure of status and power.
The bishops, with a few inspiring exceptions, have been their own worst enemies in adopting an aloof, impersonal and judgmental approach to their role. The complexity and remoteness of the church as an organisation, in which the bishops collude, has taken us a long way from the humanity and inspiration of the life of Christ.
The people are crying out to be led by systems of insight and inspiration and not by systems of power and control. The absurd emphasis on a form of servile obedience has led to a destructive form of deference.
The critical voice of the people has been weakened through the impediments of hierarchy, formality and status consciousness. In any hierarchical institution, wisdom does not trickle down easily from the top and is unwelcome from below. To be effective, leaders must be close to those who are led, listening to and responding to their voice. The membership of the church is teeming with good faith, desperate for Rome to awaken from its dogmatic slumber and be seriously attentive to those loyal members who are willing to plod on.
The church tends to see itself as the official receiver of revelation which is transmitted hierarchically. The function of the institution must surely be to tap into the lives of those who seek to live the way Christ did. It is to listen to the people it purports to serve, whose voices could not be clearer. The bishops seem to be taking comfort in the forlorn hope that eventually these voices will fall silent or, in the case of priests, be silenced.
Philip O’Neill
Edith Road, Oxford
If only the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, had said: “I know it’s not fashionable today to talk about commissions but I do really believe that an independent commission of investigation into the activities of the Catholic hierarchy, in both the Vatican and in Ireland, into how the abuse was allowed to continue so long, would be in the public interest so that the full story would come out.” (“Cardinal reflects on future amid ‘cover-up’ claims”, Irish Independent, May 7).
Dr John Doherty
Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal
Irish Independent
This was posted by Mosse, but’s it’s under the wrong thread. Perhaps it should be re posted to it’s correct place, so if people would like to sign the petition they can see this, also may be an idea to link the petiton to this page so they can know where to go
Celebs join bid to halt ‘insulting’ memorial
A CAMPAIGN to block an “offensive” €500,000 state memorial to victims of residential abuse has attracted a string of high-profile signatories.
Almost 300 people — including Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker, historian Diarmaid Ferriter and Bruce Arnold, author of the industrial school critique ‘The Irish Gulag’ — have lent their names to a petition to be handed to Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Those behind the ‘stop the memorial’ campaign say the proposal is premature and insulting, considering that the fallout from revelations about clerical sex abuse is ongoing.
The state memorial plan follows a recommendation in the 2009 Ryan Report to erect a monument with the wording of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s apology in 1999.
The successful bid for the contract is due to be announced next month. It was commissioned for €500,000 by the Department of Education and administered by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
But UCD modern historian Diarmaid Ferriter said: “The idea of a monument might be good for people who want to draw a line under this — but it’s something of an insult too for those who are still dealing with the horrific things that have happened to them.”
Neither the OPW nor the Department of Education would comment last night.
- Mark Hilliard