Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 May 2017
2. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the expected date for the publication of the review into Oberstown juvenile detention centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22486/17]
View answerBaineann sé seo leis an ionad i mBaile an Oibricigh. This question regards the report on Oberstown juvenile detention centre, a matter which has been raised by many Deputies in the House and at committee meetings. The report is now substantially overdue. It was due to be published on 20 December 2016. I ask the Minister to make a statement on the status of the report.
I understand the Deputy's question relates to the report on the operational review that was commissioned by the Oberstown board of management. It is one of a series of reports commissioned by Oberstown with the aim of improving services and ensuring good practice for the children and young people.
Four independent reviews have been commissioned by the Oberstown board of management, including the operational review and reviews of security, behaviour management and health and safety. The security and health and safety reviews have issued reports to the Oberstown board of management, while the behaviour management review is expected to report in the near future.
The operational review was a snapshot study undertaken within a particularly short timeframe and designed to help the campus to constructively move forward. I want to ensure that the report's recommendations are implemented as appropriate as soon as possible. The chair of the board has indicated to me that many of the recommendations have already been implemented, that they mirror recommendations from the other reports and are very much in keeping with the approach advocated by the board of Oberstown, national policy and my own views. An action plan adopted in January 2017 continues to drive improvements on the Oberstown campus.
In considering the operational review report, it is important to guard against any potential legal risks and unintended consequences of publication. The board commissioned independent legal advice which it is currently considering. A decision on publication will be made as soon as possible.
To ensure full consideration of recommendations made in all of the reviews I have established an implementation group chaired by Professor Kilkelly with representation from Oberstown staff and management, my Department, the IMPACT trade union and a child development expert. The group is tasked with analysing the recommendations of each of the reviews with a view to their implementation while taking account of resource and policy implications. The implementation group regularly reports on progress to the board of management and to my Department.
I thank the Minister for her response. Last Tuesday there was due to be a conference in Smock Alley on the future of Oberstown to which many Members were invited. That event was cancelled. I had expected that in that context and close to that date, the Minister might publish the independent review or at least make a statement on the matter. The Minister is correct that I am referring to the operational review. It would also be of value to be updated on the other reports.
The operational review was first due to be published on 20 December 2016. Next week, there will have been a six-month delay in its publication. That is not good enough. I understand that there are legal consequences and things that need to be taken into account. However, this was a matter of considerable public debate, concern and interest. Oberstown staff and management also have a considerable interest in the report. While there has been some progress, the Minister has not even given a ballpark timeframe for publication. She has said publication will be after legal advice has been considered and all issues have been dealt with. We need a sense of when the report will be published. It is already six months overdue.
I appreciate the Deputy coming back to me with that question. The report and its recommendations have been produced. The implementation group which I put together is considering them in the context of the recommendations made by the two other reports which have been completed and the fourth report, which is expected in the near future.
The event to which the Deputy referred has been rescheduled and will take place on 29 May. At that stage there will be an opportunity to hear about the progress made and the implementation of the key recommendations of the various reviews that are promoting improvement in Oberstown. I hope that there will then be an opportunity to see the recommendations of the operational review.
We need a more concrete commitment to when this report will be published. This process cannot go on indefinitely. I ask the Minister, if she can, to give a more specific indication of when it will be published.
The cessation from 30 March onward of the practice of putting persons under the age of 18, whether on remand or on committal, in adult prisons was a welcome development. It is a very welcome step. In the context of issues in regard to facilities and buildings in Oberstown, we need to know that everything is in place to allow that cessation to happen. Mercifully, the current number of detainees in Oberstown is lower than it was several months ago. It has fallen from the mid-30s to the mid-20s. If that number were to change and were there to be a full cohort of 17 year olds in the facility, all units would have to be open to ensure that the facility could work to the best of its ability. Can the Minister ensure that all units will be open as soon as possible and all required resources will be available to Oberstown to ensure that this additional cohort and all children in such a situation are kept and educated in Oberstown and that the facility is capable of doing so?
The report is with the Oberstown board of management, which is seeking legal advice. It is not my place to step into that process but I hope and expect that the board will soon make decisions on the report. It is in everyone's interest to await legal advice before proceeding. As the Deputy has indicated, there has been much positive news in regard to youth justice and Oberstown, such as the ending of the practice of children being sent to adult prisons. There is also a new bail supervision scheme that is contributing to the reduction in the number of detainees in Oberstown. It is difficult to say that this indicates a trend. There have been improvements to the units in Oberstown and an increase in its perimeter security. Part of the work of the implementation review group has to do with ensuring the required units will be put back in place in Oberstown. The number of detainees there is considerably lower than previously.
