As the Deputy will be aware, the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025 was passed by the Oireachtas last year. The Act provides for the delivery of ongoing health and education supports to survivors of abuse in residential institutions such as industrial schools and reformatories and builds upon the already significant response to this issue.
The Act provides that the supports concerned will be made available to survivors who received redress under the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (RIRS), or a similar court award or settlement. This is the same cohort which was previously eligible to receive funding supports from Caranua and it is estimated that it is comprised of approximately 9,400 survivors.
In January, Government approved the further strengthening of this package of supports, including the additional measures referred to by the Deputy. My Department is engaging on an ongoing basis with relevant Departments to ensure the delivery of the overall package of supports to the survivors who came within the scope of the RIRS. The provision of supports to persons who come within the remit of other schemes is not a matter for my Department.
