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MINISTER FOR Education Batt O'Keeffe has decided to appeal the High Court decision last month which found it was discriminatory to exclude a person from the redress scheme because she was over-18 when admitted to the institution. The Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 defined a child as a person under-18.

This was challenged by a woman "JD", following the Redress Review Committee's refusal to consider her application, as she was over-18 when she was sent to the institution, a mother and baby home. JD challenged the constitutionality of the definition of child in the Act as a person under-18. The court found in her favour on November 11th last, ruling that this definition was discriminatory and violated her constitutional right to equality.