This is the 26th 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 16,505 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 had received 2,766 such submissions which to date have been dealt with as follows;
2,065 submissions were accepted by the Board
334 submissions were disallowed by the Board
152 submissions were either withdrawn or had their files closed
39 submissions were invalid
In 172 cases the Board is awaiting further information from the applicant
4 submissions remain to be considered by the Board
Any such late submissions received on or after the 17th of September 2011 cannot be accepted by the Board.
The Board will now continue its work until all applications (including late submissions) have been considered.
Awards
To 31st July 2013 the Board had completed the process in 15,759 cases. 11,503 offers have been made following settlement talks and 3,229 awards have been made following hearings. 16 applicants have rejected their awards. 1,027 applications were withdrawn, refused or resulted in no award.
The average value of awards to date is €62,713, 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 |
44 |
0.30% |
|
IV |
55 to 69 |
€150,000 – €200,000 |
268 |
1.82% |
|
III |
40 to 54 |
€100,000 – €150,000 |
1,987 |
13.49% |
|
II |
25 to 39 |
€50,000 – €100,000 |
7,184 |
48.76% |
|
I |
Less than 25 |
Up to €50,000 |
5,249 |
35.63% |
|
Total |
|
|
14,732 |
100.00% |
Legal Costs
To date the Board has paid legal costs to 982 firms of solicitors in respect of 14,062 applications. A total of €177.3 million has been paid, of which €12.3 million was paid in respect of associated High Court proceedings in accordance with section 27(2) of the Redress Act.