School buildings, convents, vestries, playing fields and associated lands across Ireland were handed over
Religious orders have handed over ownership of 44 properties worth €42m to the State as part of the redress scheme for survivors of abuse at residential institutions.
Documents sent to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by Sean O Foghlu, Secretary General of the Department of Education, show that school buildings, convents, vestries, playing fields and associated lands across Ireland were handed over “under the terms of the 2002 Indemnity Agreement”.
A letter from Mr O Foghlu, released to the Sunday Independent under the Freedom of Information Act, said the department had agreed in principle with the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI), which represent the orders, to take control of 64 properties.
“This number has been reduced to 61 as the department has accepted and received a sum of cash in lieu of three properties where good and marketable title could not be established,” Mr O Foghlu wrote.
The properties listed as being handed over in Dublin include grounds in Merrion worth €8.9m, a Terenure secondary school valued at €4.5m, St Teresa’s convent at Temple Hill, Blackrock valued at €3.1m and a Traveller site in Blackrock valued at €3.1m.
Other substantial properties include two separate properties in Tuam, Co. Galway valued at €3m, St Anne’s secondary school valued at €2.6m and Holy Cross garden, Killarney, Co. Kerry valued at €1.2m.
Mr O Foghlu said the 44 properties represented two-thirds of the total monetary value of all properties being transferred under the agreement. Arrangements to transfer the outstanding 17 properties are “being finalised”.
Under the 2002 indemnity agreement for compensation, 18 religious orders which ran residential institutions committed to pay €128m in cash, property and counselling services towards redress costs for abuse survivors. After the Ryan report was published in 2009, the orders agreed to increase their contribution to €352.6m.