No lands or properties have yet been passed to the State by religious congregations as part of the scheme to compensate the victims of abuse in residential institutions, despite the passing of a nine-month deadline, it was revealed.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said that subject to getting the precise details, he understood that the lands and properties had been identified, but "I do not think they have been passed on to the State".
Some of them, he said, were in the education area, and some time ago the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, had informed him of some of the properties the Department hoped to get and of others still under negotiation.
"With regard to the sites, I have every confidence the religious authorities will honour the commitments they have," he added.
Mr Ahern was replying to the Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, who said: "By way of reply to a parliamentary question on June 10th, the Minister for Education made it plain that not one single property has been transferred in the nine months."
Mr Ahern replied: "I said they had been identified, and the agreement was that they would be identified. I said they were not transferred."
Earlier, Mr Rabbitte said the deal was done on the day before the Government had come into office in June 2002. "Under the deed of indemnity, the properties were to be identified within nine months and accepted by the State."
He said the compensation arrangement "provided for unlimited exposure of the taxpayer and the Exchequer and a ring-fenced contribution from the religious institutions". He asked Mr Ahern if he was satisfied,"bad deal as it was", that at least the contribution had been made by the religious congregations.
Mr Ahern said: "Deputy Rabbitte does not share my view. Perhaps the negotiations finished last June, but they had gone on for a considerable time and they were properly conducted. Since we last spoke about the issue, the data was put in the public domain. I still believe it was a fair and responsible deal, which went through all the Cabinet procedures."