Vol. 487 No. 2
83 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Education and Science the level of co-ordination that exists between his Department and other Departments in relation to young offenders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3592/98]
My Department has overall responsibility for five custodial facilities which are authorised to accommodate young offenders sentenced to detention by the courts.
However, the role of these facilities and my Department's involvement with them must be seen in the wider context of the State's overall response to children who have special care needs or who come into conflict with the law.
A key objective is to ensure that the imposition of custodial sentences on children should be a matter of last resort. It is essential therefore that every effort be made to address the needs of the children in question by non-custodial alternatives.
In pursuit of this objective, my Department is in regular contact with Departments of Health and Children and Justice, Equality and Law Reform. These contacts involve close collaboration in the development of multi-faceted policy responses to the needs of the children in question. The extent and success of this collaboration is particularly reflected in the Children Bill, 1966.
My Department and the managements of the young offender centres under its control are also involved in ongoing contact with the relevant healh and justice authorities and their agents on individual cases of difficulty which arise from time to time.
The level of co-ordination between my Department and the other Departments mentioned has now been further enhanced by the Government's recent decision to delegate functions in relation to the Children Acts, 1908 to 1989 to Minister of State Frank Fahey who already has responsibility for children in the Department of Health and Children.
