Survivors of abuse deserve justice – Govt must compel religious orders to pay

• Labour legislation would compel orders to contribute in full to redress scheme
• Bacik welcomes Taoiseach’s commitment to refer Bill to Attorney General

Labour leader Ivana Bacik has urged the Government to enact Labour’s Bill that would ensure religious orders are compelled to contribute in full to redress schemes for survivors of abuse.

Questioning the Taoiseach during Leaders’ Questions, Deputy Bacik called on Government to legislate to make the orders pay their fair share before a general election.

Deputy Bacik said:

“Any organisation which facilitates abuse, and even covered it up, must be compelled to pay redress. Survivors of abuse deserve justice.

“Government has called on religious orders to pay their share of redress, but past experience shows that appeals to the moral duty of religious orders cannot be relied upon. Some of the worst sexual abuse imaginable has been perpetrated against children while in the care of these religious orders. They must pay their share for redress for survivors.

“Three weeks ago, I shared with the Taoiseach a Bill that Labour have drafted to ensure that religious orders will be compelled to contribute in full to redress schemes. I questioned him on it today in the Dail.

“In response to my questions, the Taoiseach confirmed that he would refer our Labour Bill to the Attorney General, who is already examining mechanisms to ensure religious orders pay up. History tells us that it is time to legislate for change, to legislate for justice.

“Many religious orders are now effectively hiding legally behind what I describe as the ‘developer’s wife system’. These orders have transferred their assets to lay-run trusts, meaning that the orders may be liable to pay redress to survivors or to the state; but have no assets to do so. And of course the lay-run trusts have no legal liability.

“What makes this all the more troubling ethically is that the assets involved are so extensive. An investigation by Noteworthy for the Journal showed that religious orders involved in historic abuse sold over 75 properties, worth more than €90 million, between 2016 and 2022 alone.

“It’s time to take action for survivors now.

“Minister Foley’s engagement with survivors to-date in the carrying out of the scoping inquiry and the commitment to a statutory investigation and redress scheme has been very welcome.

“Now we must not only condemn abuse in all its forms, the theft of innocence, but we must also call it out and ensure that survivors receive the justice they so deserve.”