Vol. 456 No. 6
133 Mr. O'Dea asked the Minister for Justice the number of prosecutions for truancy that have taken place in each of the years, 1990 to 1994; her views on whether truancy is a factor in the rise of juvenile crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14504/95]
Truancy is the responsibility of the Department of Education. Prosecution rests with school attendance officers. School attendance officers are appointed by the local authority. In the absence of a local authority officer, a member of An Garda Síochána appointed by the local Garda district officer acts as a school attendance officer. The matter of the number of prosecutions should be addressed to the Department of Education.
The co-relation between truancy and juvenile crime is difficult to estimate with any degree of accuracy. Garda figures for 1994 indicate that 31 per cent of crime committed by juveniles (i.e. those aged under 18 years of age) occured between 8.01 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. However, in considering the extent to which truancy is a factor in these cases, it must be borne in mind that the above figure includes crimes committed during school holidays and on week-ends.
