THE CHRISTIAN Brothers have offered the biggest contribution to date to meeting the compensation bill for clerical child sex abuse claims, according to figures released yesterday by the Department of Education.
Amounting to € 161 million, the Christian Brothers’ offer comprises cash of €30 million and counselling services of € 4 million and also includes 49 school playing fields and associated lands which the Catholic Church values at €127 million.
The church has proposed the lands would be transferred to a joint trust between the Edmund Rice Schools Trust and the Government.
The next highest amount of the 18 religious congregations comes from the Sisters of Mercy. Amounting to € 127.5 million, the sum includes cash of € 20 million and school properties in Tipperary, Waterford, Clare, Galway, Cork, Mayo, Longford and Meath, some of which would be transferred to Vocational Education Committees and others to the State. The offer also includes four health sector properties and 31 other properties which would be donated either to the statutory fund, the HSE or the voluntary sector.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said he was disappointed at the offers, saying the 18 congregations were several hundred million off the €680 million mark the Government believes should be paid.
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