Vol. 546 No. 5
58 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of occasions in which it has been alleged to him that children have been sexually or physically abused whilst detained in institutions for which he has responsibility or which are grant aided by his Department during his term of office; the institutions in respect of which such allegations have been made; and the steps taken by him to have such allegations investigated. [31467/01]
Any allegation of sexual abuse which is made by persons of any age held in prison custody is immediately reported to the Garda Síochána for investigation. I am aware of two cases where prisoners under 18 years of age, both of whom were detained in St. Patrick's Institution, alleged that they had been sexually assaulted while in custody. Both allegations were made in October of 1999 and were levelled against other inmates. The alleged incidents were not related and the alleged perpetrator was different in both cases. One person is facing court appearances in the future and the other investigation is ongoing. In light of this it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on either of these cases. I am not aware of any other instances of alleged sexual abuse occurring in the institutions which are under the control of my Department during my term of office as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I am not in a position to provide the Deputy with the information requested in relation to allegations of physical abuse as this could include each instance where one prisoner allegedly strikes another. However, when an assault is reported, an investigation into the matter would take place and the alleged victim is given the opportunity to report the matter to the local gardaí if he-she wishes.
