asked the Minister for Education the arrangements he has made to provide a detention centre for offenders under the age of 16 years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Offenders' Detention Centre.
8.
Since the closure of Marlboro' House the Department no longer operate any detention centre in the sense of the term used in the legislation, nor do they propose to do so. Such centres were intended for the committal of children for a month at a time as a purely punitive measure and this procedure is not now considered to be of sufficient rehabilitative value to warrant the maintenance of such centres.
The great majority of child offenders requiring residential care can be catered for in the special schools administered by my Department. These provide an educational programme in an open setting designed to change the children's attitudes and behaviour and to rehabilitate them as responsible members of society.
The development of assessment facilities, at Finglas Children's Centre and elsewhere, is tending to establish the need for certain specialised facilities beyond those available in the existing special schools. Some of these facilities would require a psychiatric orientation; others would simply call for more intensive care.
My Department are at present studying these issues, in consultation with the other Departments and interests involved. The matter will also be considered by the Task Force on Child Care Services.
Am I to take it that the fact that the Parliamentary Secretary has handled this question, implies that the statement that the Minister for Health was taking over all matters of child care is not in fact correct?
No, that would be an incorrect inference to be drawn from the fact that I have replied to this question. The situation is that the Minister for Health has taken over the main responsibility, including that of co-ordination, but the responsibility for the administration of existing services still rests with the Department concerned. Obviously this is the case, by virtue of the fact that those responsibilities were originally conferred on the Department in question by statute.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that within the last few weeks a judge said, in relation to two offenders: "I cannot do a thing; I have nowhere to send them"?
I should be glad if the Deputy would give me any precise information he may have on that matter, when I shall gladly take it up.
It was a newspaper report. If the Parliamentary Secretary does not read the newspapers surely he has some staff to do the job for him?
There was one case of a child, all right, but I am not sure whether it is the one to which the Deputy is referring. If the Deputy would let me have the reference, I shall gladly deal with the matter; if necessary in reply to a further Parliamentary Question.
I would suggest that the Parliamentary Secretary has better facilities to do these matters than I.
I will gladly look up the papers, then.