The Government revealed last week that the bill to compensate people who claim they were abused in State-funded Church-run institutions has run to some €1.36bn. As a figure, this represents some 2.5pc of overall annual Government spending.
Following the meeting between the Taoiseach and the religious congregations a Government spokesman insisted that the fresh €348.5m offered by the congregations towards the Redress Scheme was insufficient. That figure was in addition to €128m already contributed by the congregations in the 2002 deal bringing the contribution by religious congregations to an enormous €476m. However, the Government is seeking an additional €200m to ensure that the congregations pay 50pc of the overall cost.
The false impression is often given that the 2002 agreement to indemnify congregations against claims in return for a contribution of €128m was a sweetheart deal where the religious pulled the wool over the Government's eyes or a compliant Government showed excessive deference towards the Church. What is ignored is the fact that the overall cost of Redress was initially costed by the Government in 2001 to be a maximum of €300m.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act and previously reproduced in this newspaper reveal the Government's negotiating position to be: ''An overall contribution from the religious congregations of up to €150m might be sought as an opening position with a view to securing ultimately a contribution of close to €100m.'' In the end the Government secured a contribution of €128m from the religious congregations.
Disastrous and costly miscalculations by Government are sadly all too common in this country. However, in this case, the mistake allied to a system where the verification of claims was virtually non-existent has cost the taxpayer dearly. The Government, evidently, is trying to ensure that the religious congregations reimburse the tax-payer for the Government miscalculation. Obviously, given the final bill of €1.36bn, there is a justifiable desire to increase the contribution from the congregations. However, in the rush of indignation it ought not to be forgotten that the religious congregations entered into the deal in good faith and, in fact, anticipated covering more than 50pc of the projected costs.
Religious are now being asked to come up with an additional €200m. Some congregations have already said they cannot contribute any more, others have, in fact, incurred a massive burden of debt due to the Government's broken promises (see page 3). Still others are searching to see whether they can or ought to contribute further towards the deal.
Congregations must contribute what they feel justice and the common good requires of them. However, too many questions remain unanswered. As a first principle, the religious should insist that the Government accept responsibility for miscalculation and a lax system of claims verification.
Secondly, the Government must be clear about what the additional contributions are for. A trust fund that may distribute further compensation to victims or grants for educational purposes has been proposed. This has been rejected by some victims who are demanding cash instead.
The Government has also proposed that cash received will be used as a contribution to the planned National Children's Hospital. This must not be allowed to become a political football where further Government procrastination on the long-awaited children's hospital can hide behind a convenient veil of blaming the congregations for failing to contribute more cash.
The pain and suffering inflicted on many victims will be felt in Ireland for generations; religious are acutely aware of this, but there is a right way to seek appropriate reparation and another that simply stinks of humiliation and vengeance. The Government must resist the temptation to choose the latter and scapegoat generations of heroic and saintly religious who selflessly served this country without pay or compensation from a struggling embryonic State.
