Vol. 547 No. 1
1128 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of allegations made during his period of office that children taken into care in institutions for which he or a health board has responsibility had been sexually or physically abused whilst in such institutions; the institutions in respect of which such allegations have been made; and the steps taken by him to have such allegations investigated. [1277/02]
1129 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Education and Science 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 were 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. [1278/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1128 and 1129 together.
There are five special schools for young offenders under the aegis of my Department. They are Trinity House, Oberstown, Lusk, County Dublin, Oberstown Boys Centre, Oberstown, Lusk, County Dublin, Oberstown Girls Centre, Oberstown, Lusk, County Dublin, Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre, Kildonan Road, Finglas West, Dublin 11, and St. Joseph's Special School, Ferryhouse, Clonmel, County Tipperary. I have not received any allegations of the type referred to by the Deputy in relation to those schools. My colleague the Minister for Health and Children has statutory responsibility for the operation of the health boards.
I am concerned to ensure that the highest standards of care and child protection are provided for the young people in the care of these schools and that any complaints are investigated thoroughly by the relevant statutory authorities. Each of the schools has formal procedures in place for the investigation of any such complaints. A senior management member is appointed in each school to serve as the designated child protection officer to ensure that all complaints are appropriately investigated and passed on to the relevant statutory bodies such as the Garda and-or health authorities for formal investigation where required. The procedures do not involve reporting individual complaints to my Department.
As an additional safeguard to enhance the levels of child protection, my Department is currently developing formal standards governing the operation of these schools. The introduction of these standards will be followed by a system of independent inspection of each of the schools concerned. These standards will form the basis of a forthcoming pilot inspection in one of the schools. Independent inspection will provide further assurance that the complaints systems procedures are being followed and help to identify any weaknesses and deficiencies that may exist.
