(Cavan) asked the Minister for Education when it is proposed to close Marlborough House as a remand home.
50.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Marlborough House.
49.
(Cavan) asked the Minister for Education whether it is proposed to retain Marlborough House as a place of detention; and, if so, what proposals there are to ensure that the staff is trained.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 50 together.
It is expected that provision will continue to be required for a very limited number of boys in Marlborough House until the new building for the Remand and Assessment Unit at Finglas and the new Special School at Observation in replacement of Daingean Reformatory School have been provided. It is anticipated that these two buildings will be available before the end of the present calendar year.
(Cavan): Is the Minister not aware that the Kennedy Report some considerable time ago literally condemned Marlborough House as quite unsuitable? The Minister promises to transfer boys on remand to Finglas. I understand the buildings there were completed in September last but the boys are still being sent on remand to Marlborough House. The Minister has not dealt with the question which asked when it was proposed to train the staff in Marlborough House. Is it not a fact that the staff there are not trained and that the Kennedy Report so found?
The point is that the new remand home in Finglas is already open and we have transferred some of the young people to Finglas.
Why is Marlborough House not closed as a remand home?
There is a problem in relation to a relatively small number of young people and we are trying to deal with this particular situation at the moment. There are some intractable cases for whom there is no accommodation elsewhere at the moment. We are trying to deal with that. As I say, by the end of this year we hope to have Finglas and also the building in Oberstown completed. At that stage we will be able to deal with this relatively small number of difficult boys.
Question No. 51.
Is the Minister saying that young people will still be detained in Marlborough House for the whole of this year in conditions that were regarded two years ago as appalling and quite unsuitable? Is this, in effect, what the Minister is saying?
There will be a small number for some time but we are doing everything we can to overcome this particular situation.
What will the small number consist of?
I already explained the situation that there will be a small number of very difficult young people who could not be contained in Finglas. We will be able to handle them in the Oberstown situation. In the meantime we are trying to do all we can to see if we can make other accommodation available for those young people.
Why cannot the facilities at Finglas be offered to these boys and Marlborough House closed down now?
I have already explained to the Deputy that there is a very considerable difficulty here. If there were not it would be done already.
Does the Minister not think that conditions at Marlborough House are making it worse for these people?
Question No. 51.
(Cavan): The Minister has not dealt, in reply to the question or to supplementary questions, with the provision of trained staff in Marlborough House which was dealt with in the Kennedy Report and which is of very considerable importance particularly, I suggest, in regard to the difficult young people the Minister has in mind?
Of course, the point I am sure the Deputy will accept is that in relation to the new institutions like Finglas and Oberstown the staff will be fully trained and we will have the best possible facilities, psychiatric, psychological and so on available to assess these young people and do everything we possibly can for them.
That is why the Minister should close Marlborough House.
As I explained to the Deputy a moment ago if there were no problem we would have them removed from Marlborough House immediately but there is a difficult problem here.
The Minister has been saying this for a year.
I have no particular apology to make for the amount we have done in such a relatively short time to try to deal with this very difficult situation.
(Cavan): Does the Minister not think it is important that the people in Marlborough House whom he will keep there for some time should be in the hands of trained people?
I am calling Question No. 51. We cannot discuss this matter further.
The Deputy is aware of the fact that we have made exceptional strides in relation to this particular aspect of the educational system.
(Cavan): The Minister is going the wrong way round in dealing with this.
I am calling Question No. 51. We cannot discuss this matter any further.
The Minister does not intend to close Marlborough House?
We will close Marlborough House as soon as possible.
Why admit any more to Marlborough House?
It seems to me there is no use in explaining the situation.