I ask that Deputies be brief with their questions. That way, more Deputies will be able to speak.

When the Tánaiste was Taoiseach in July 2019, he made a welcome apology to the victims of child sex abuse in day schools. It was appreciated. This is now December 2020. The Tánaiste will be aware that the ex gratia scheme at the time was not fit for purpose. Thanks to the good work done by Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill, the requirement for a prior complaint was seen to be nonsense, and due to the failure to address a number of people's issues, it was removed. My understanding is that the ex gratia scheme is still being reviewed. When will the review be concluded? Will the Tánaiste confirm that students who attended the Creagh Lane school in my constituency of Limerick City, which I have raised in the Dáil a number of times, will be included in the review?

Recently, the Government approved the draft 12th action plan to the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers responding to the 2014 ruling in the Louise O'Keeffe case. In Mr. Justice O'Neill's review of 19 cases that had not been successful in their applications to the ex gratia scheme, he concluded that 13 were entitled to a payment from the scheme. Sixteen offers of payment have now been made. We appreciate that some people who did not apply to the scheme in the belief that they would not have been eligible would have been eligible under the O'Neill principles. We are reviewing the scheme. An extensive engagement between the Department of Education and the Attorney General's office is ongoing. The idea is to amend the scheme and reopen it - technically it would be a new scheme - for people who ought to have received a payment but did not or who did not apply because they did not believe they would receive a payment.

We have not brought that to a conclusion yet but it has been discussed. We hope to bring it to a conclusion soon.