State may ask Church for cash payment of €32m

By Mary Regan, Political Reporter

 The Catholic Church may be asked to make a cash payment of €32 million to the Government because it has so far failed to hand over property as agreed under the redress scheme to compensate victims of clerical sex abuse. The overall compensation package for abuse victims will cost €1.1 billion which is paid out by the Residential Institutions Redress Board set up six years ago. Under a controversial deal agreed back in 2002 the liability of religious orders is limited to €128m while the rest of the compensation is to be paid by taxpayers. As part of the 2002 agreement religious orders were given indemnity from abuse claims and, in turn, the Church was to give the state €76.8m in property transfers, €41.14m in cash and provide a counselling service to abuse victims to the value of €10m. It has emerged that the Church has only paid €96m of what it agreed because of legal difficulties in transferring property. Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe has revealed that the original deal with the Church has been altered. Mr O'Keeffe said the sum of €128m to be paid by the Church has stayed the same but it has changed to €66m from property, €52m in cash and €10m in counselling. "I can confirm that the full cash contribution of €52m has been received, including that which was accepted in lieu of properties. My department has also received confirmation that the contributing congregations have provided counselling services to the value of €10m," he said. Mr O'Keeffe said that of the €66m owed by the church in property, just €26.8m has been paid and the process is underway for the transferal of €7.5m worth of property. "This leaves a balance of properties, valued at €31.735m, where the legal transfer remains to be completed," he said. "Consideration may have to be given to accepting an alternative property or cash where good and marketable title cannot be established," he said. In a written response to a Dáil question from Fine Gael's Simon Coveney, Mr O'Keeffe said his department had agreed with Catholic institutions that 64 church properties would be transferred. "It is regrettable the process for the final transfer of some of these properties is not yet completed," he said. The scheme was set up following a public apology to victims by the Taoiseach in May 1999. It was envisaged that 2,000 people would apply for compensation, but this reached 14,500 last year. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is expected to publish its report shortly.