The Government has accepted only a quarter of the land offered by the Conference of Religious in Ireland as part of the controversial deal to indemnify religious orders against compensation claims from abuse survivors. Arthur Beesley, Political Reporter, reports
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, disclosed last night the Government had rejected some lands offered and indicated it had not yet decided whether more than half the property could be of use to the State.
The Government had agreed to take possession of 32 properties worth €19.5 million, he said. These are expected to be transferred into State ownership in the coming months. While the deal agreed last year envisaged the transfer of land worth €78.86 million, Mr Dempsey said last night the Government had rejected eight properties - valued at €10 million but of no use to the State.
The Government is still in discussions on the possibility of acquiring five other properties, said to be worth €10 million. The Catholic Church has also offered land worth €40.32 million, currently used for education and social purposes.
Those properties are also still the subject of discussions with the Government, which is attempting to determine whether they can be of value to the State. It is believed there may be issues surrounding the title of these lands, which would create difficulties in any transfer.
Mr Dempsey's spokeswoman said there was no time limit on the discussions. She said it was open to Government to accept or reject some or all of those lands. She insisted the Government was prepared to exercise its option to demand a cash alternative if it deemed the properties unacceptable. "If we don't accept the properties, we'll get cash," she said. The Government has already received €41.14 million from the religious orders as part of the deal.
The spokeswoman said the Government had agreed "during the summer" to accept the 32 properties worth €19.5 million.
The Government has been under sustained political pressure to show a return from the controversial deal. It has argued that the religious orders had no obligation to make a donation and that the initial sum offered by CORI was much less than the €128 million in the agreement.
While the financial exposure of the State has been estimated at €500 million, Mr Dempsey has insisted in recent days it is less than that figure.
The Opposition has repeatedly criticised the agreement because it placed a limit on the liability of the religious orders while investigations into abuse and neglect were still ongoing. Last night Fine Gael's education spokeswoman, Ms Olwyn Enright, said: "This announcement of transferral of properties creates more doubt and generates more questions about how the costs of the redress board are going to be met."
Mr Dempsey's spokeswoman would not comment when asked if last night's disclosure was designed to put a more positive gloss on the controversy surrounding the resignation of Ms Justice Laffoy from the child abuse inquiry.
The indemnity package was agreed by the Government shortly after the general election last year on the day before the new Cabinet took office. The agreement was finalised by the then Minister for Education, Dr Michael Woods.
The work of the child abuse inquiry has been challenged in the High Court by the Christian Brothers, who are party to the indemnity agreement through their membership of the CORI. A judgment is expected soon, but is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court. The outcome of that case will determine what proposals the Government adopts to reform the investigative committee of the abuse inquiry, whose work was suspended when the judge resigned.