RELIGIOUS orders have been told to either pay another
€200 million towards the cost of compensating the victims of child abuse
or sign over schools to public ownership.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn wrote to the orders
to demand showdown talks and said he was disappointed with their
contribution.
The orders have offered €348m worth of land and cash on top of the €128m they paid as part of the 2002 indemnity deal.
However, Mr Quinn said this falls well short of the €680m target, half of the overall €1.3 billion compensation bill for the victims of abuse.
Mr Quinn claimed that of the €235m in property offered by the orders already, just €60m was deemed to be suitable.
The orders have committed to give another €100m in cash but just €20.6m has been given so far.
Mr Quinn said that if the congregations did not have the cash to make up the shortfall, they should sign over legal ownership of school buildings to the state.
"There is a very big gap between the €680m which would be their fair share and what is on the table at the present time," he said.
This week, the Irish Examiner revealed the 18 orders named in the Ryan Report made €667m from property deals between in 1999 and 2009.
They kept hold of €3.1bn worth of land and more than €700m in financial assets.
Today, we reveal 12 of the 18 orders still owned a portfolio of development and agricultural land worth €219m when the Ryan Report was published in May 2009.
Mr Quinn said he did not know how much of the financial resources from land sales were available to the orders today.
However, if they did not have the cash to hand over, they should be prepared to transfer school properties, he said.
The latest land asset details show the vast bulk of the €219m development and agricultural portfolio was not included in properties offered to the state in the revised redress negotiations.
Instead, the congregations largely suggested signing over educational, health and sporting facilities.
Mr Quinn said that, following an end of political discussion in April 2010, just two of the 18 orders have made additional offers to the redress scheme and the rest needed to come back with substantial additional offers.
"Despite the state’s call for the congregations to supplement their original offers, only two out of the 18 congregations have replied positively to make up a shortfall of some €200 million," he said.
"One congregation has offered to give €1m towards the costs of the national children’s hospital and to refund some or all of its legal costs, while another offered to transfer a former primary school.
"None of the other congregations have supplemented their original offers."
Reacting to the developments, many of the religious orders said they had nothing to add, as the process was ongoing.
Provincial of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, William Fitzpatrick, said his order was happy to meet Mr Quinn to discuss the contributions to the Government.
The orders have offered €348m worth of land and cash on top of the €128m they paid as part of the 2002 indemnity deal.
However, Mr Quinn said this falls well short of the €680m target, half of the overall €1.3 billion compensation bill for the victims of abuse.
Mr Quinn claimed that of the €235m in property offered by the orders already, just €60m was deemed to be suitable.
The orders have committed to give another €100m in cash but just €20.6m has been given so far.
Mr Quinn said that if the congregations did not have the cash to make up the shortfall, they should sign over legal ownership of school buildings to the state.
"There is a very big gap between the €680m which would be their fair share and what is on the table at the present time," he said.
This week, the Irish Examiner revealed the 18 orders named in the Ryan Report made €667m from property deals between in 1999 and 2009.
They kept hold of €3.1bn worth of land and more than €700m in financial assets.
Today, we reveal 12 of the 18 orders still owned a portfolio of development and agricultural land worth €219m when the Ryan Report was published in May 2009.
Mr Quinn said he did not know how much of the financial resources from land sales were available to the orders today.
However, if they did not have the cash to hand over, they should be prepared to transfer school properties, he said.
The latest land asset details show the vast bulk of the €219m development and agricultural portfolio was not included in properties offered to the state in the revised redress negotiations.
Instead, the congregations largely suggested signing over educational, health and sporting facilities.
Mr Quinn said that, following an end of political discussion in April 2010, just two of the 18 orders have made additional offers to the redress scheme and the rest needed to come back with substantial additional offers.
"Despite the state’s call for the congregations to supplement their original offers, only two out of the 18 congregations have replied positively to make up a shortfall of some €200 million," he said.
"One congregation has offered to give €1m towards the costs of the national children’s hospital and to refund some or all of its legal costs, while another offered to transfer a former primary school.
"None of the other congregations have supplemented their original offers."
Reacting to the developments, many of the religious orders said they had nothing to add, as the process was ongoing.
Provincial of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, William Fitzpatrick, said his order was happy to meet Mr Quinn to discuss the contributions to the Government.