Religious bodies may boycott Quinn compensation meeting [IrishTimes]
- Published: 18 July 2011
REPRESENTATIVES OF some of the 18 religious congregations that managed residential institutions for children investigated by the Ryan commission may not attend a meeting with the Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn next Friday in protest.
They have been invited to the meeting to discuss a €200 million shortfall in an expected 50:50 contribution by them to costs incurred by the State in compensating former residents of the institutions.
The Government is asking congregations named in the Ryan report to transfer ownership of schools to the State to help make up the shortfall.
Last week Mr Quinn said: “I’m asking them for a 50:50 contribution. The taxpayer has already paid out the bulk of it. Their share should be about €680 million and they are half shy of that . . . they need to do far more.”
The Irish Times has learned that the congregations never agreed to make a 50:50 contributions to such State costs, nor was this a recommendation of the report. It is also their intention to ensure that any additional contributions they make will go to survivors and not to the State.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
