This is the 29th in a series of newsletters which the Board has decided to produce to keep applicants informed from time to time as to the procedures it follows and other developments. The Board’s Guide to Hearing Procedures issued in April 2003 and in December of 2005 the Board issued the third edition of the guide.
Applications
The final date for receipt of applications has now passed and the Board has received a total of 16,626 applications.
The Board continues to process the remaining applications before it as expeditiously as possible.
Applications Received after 15th December 2005
In accordance with the provisions of the Residential Institutions Redress (Amendment) Act 2011 the Board’s power to accept late applications under sections 8(2) and 8(3) of the Redress Act 2002 ceased at midnight on the 16th of September 2011.
The Board received 2,766 such submissions which were dealt with as follows;
2,197 submissions were accepted by the Board
367 submissions were disallowed by the Board
163 submissions were either withdrawn or had their files closed
39 submissions were invalid
Any such late submissions received on or after the 17th of September 2011 cannot be accepted by the Board.
All late applications have now been considered by the Board.
The breakdown of the late application figures may vary from previous newsletters due to the outcome of Judicial Review proceedings.
Awards
To 17th December 2014 the Board had completed the process in 16,619 cases. 12,027 offers have been made following settlement talks and 3,520 awards have been made following hearings. 16 applicants have rejected their awards. 1,072 applications were withdrawn, refused or resulted in no award.
The average value of awards to date is €62,237, the largest award being €300,500.
Redress Board Bands
The breakdown of awards by Redress Band is as follows:
|
Redress Bands |
Total Weightings for Severity of Abuse and Injury/Effects of Abuse |
Award Payable by way of Redress |
Number |
Percentage |
|
V |
70 or more |
€200,000 – €300,000 |
48 |
0.31% |
|
IV |
55 to 69 |
€150,000 – €200,000 |
280 |
1.80% |
|
III |
40 to 54 |
€100,000 – €150,000 |
2,069 |
13.31% |
|
II |
25 to 39 |
€50,000 – €100,000 |
7,507 |
48.28% |
|
I |
Less than 25 |
Up to €50,000 |
5,643 |
36.30% |
|
Total |
|
|
15,547 |
100.00% |
Legal Costs
To date the Board has paid legal costs to 1,020 firms of solicitors in respect of 15,040 applications. A total of €192.5 million has been paid, of which €12.5 million was paid in respect of associated High Court proceedings in accordance with section 27(2) of the Redress Act.
Christmas Opening Hours
The Board’s offices will close on Christmas Eve and will re-open on Monday 29th December 2014.
The Board and staff would like to take this opportunity to wish all applicants a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. A special note of thanks is extended to all those who contributed to the establishment of the Board and who continue to help us in our attempt to provide the best possible service to all applicants.