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Newsletter December 2011 This is the 23rd in a series of newsletters which the Board has decided to produce to keep applicants informed from time to time as to the procedures it follows and other developments. The Board's Guide to Hearing Procedures issued in April 2003 and in December of 2005 the Board issued the third edition of the guide. Applications The final date for receipt of applications has now passed and the Board has received a total of 15,395 applications. The Board continues to process the remaining applications before it. In the course of the year the Board held a number of callovers with the solicitors on record to ascertain the up to date position with their cases. The Board will continue to hold callovers to ensure the expeditious completion of applications. Applications Received after 15th December 2005 In accordance with the provisions of the Residential Institutions Redress (Amendment) Act 2011 the Board's power to accept late applications under sections 8(2) and 8(3) of the Redress Act 2002 ceased at midnight on the 16th of September 2011. By that time the Board had received 2,766 such submissions which were dealt with as follows; 947 submissions were accepted by the Board Any such late submissions received on or after the 17th of September 2011 cannot be accepted by the Board. The Board will now continue its work until all applications (including late submissions) have been considered. Awards To date the Board has completed the process in 14,849 cases. 10,906 offers have been made following settlement talks and 3,003 awards have been made following hearings. 13 applicants have rejected their awards. 940 applications were withdrawn, refused or resulted in no award. By and large applications have been refused as, on the face of the documentation, the application was outside the Board's terms of reference as laid down in the 2002 Act. In other words, the applications did not relate to residential institutions as defined in the Act. These applications are determined by the Board immediately on receipt so that the applicant is informed at the earliest possible date that his/her application is outside the ambit of the redress scheme. The average value of awards to date is €62,873, the largest award being €300,500. Redress Board Bands The breakdown of awards by Redress Band is as follows: Redress Bands Total Weightings for Severity of Abuse and Injury/Effects of Abuse Award Payable by way of Redress Number Percentage V 70 or more €200,000 - €300,000 31 0.22% IV 55 to 69 €150,000 - €200,000 236 1.70% III 40 to 54 €100,000 - €150,000 1865 13.41% II 25 to 39 €50,000 - €100,000 6803 48.91% I Less than 25 Up to €50,000 4974 35.76% Total 13909 100.00% Legal Costs To date the Board has paid legal costs to 934 firms of solicitors in respect of 13,323 applications. A total of €165.5 million has been paid, of which €11.9 million was paid in respect of associated High Court proceedings in accordance with section 27(2) of the Redress Act. Christmas Opening Hours The Board's offices will close on Christmas Eve and will re-open on Wednesday 28th December 2011. The Board and staff would like to take this opportunity to wish all applicants a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. A special note of thanks is extended to all those who contributed to the establishment of the Board and who continue to help us in our attempt to provide the best possible service to all applicants. |
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