This is the 27th 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 16,620 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;
2,179 submissions were accepted by the Board
367 submissions were disallowed by the Board
164 submissions were either withdrawn or had their files closed
39 submissions were invalid
In 17 cases the Board is awaiting further information from the applicant
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 23rd December 2013 the Board had completed the process in 16,151 cases. 11,748 offers have been made following settlement talks and 3,355 awards have been made following hearings. 16 applicants have rejected their awards. 1,048 applications were withdrawn, refused or resulted in no award.
The average value of awards to date is €62,500, the largest award being €300,500.
Redress Board Bands
|
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 |
46 |
0.30% |
|
IV |
55 to 69 |
€150,000 – €200,000 |
271 |
1.79% |
|
III |
40 to 54 |
€100,000 – €150,000 |
2023 |
13.39% |
|
II |
25 to 39 |
€50,000 – €100,000 |
7341 |
48.61% |
|
I |
Less than 25 |
Up to €50,000 |
5422 |
35.90% |
|
Total |
|
|
15103 |
100.00% |
Legal Costs
To date the Board has paid legal costs to 992 firms of solicitors in respect of 14,286 applications. A total of €181 million has been paid, of which €12.4 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 Friday 27th December 2013.
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.