Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

RIGHT FROM the outset, both the Government and the religious orders knew that the €127 million contribution to the indemnity deal was bogus, and that it represented only a fraction of the then projected cost of the redress scheme to compensate victims of the criminal physical, sexual and emotional abuse on children in the care of religious orders, writes VINCENT BROWNE

That deal involved the State indemnifying the religious orders for all claims of compensation by the victims of the abuse, plus any legal costs arising from such claims. This was in return for an agreement on the part of the religious orders to make a cash payment to the redress scheme of just €28.44 million, at a time when the projected cost of the scheme was up to €500 million – this represents just over 5 per cent.