John Curran
Ceist:410 Mr. Curran asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the cost of detention facilities for offenders under 18 in 2005. [12035/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 19 April 2005
Ceisteanna (348)
Freagraí scríofa
Statutory responsibility for the provision of spaces for young offenders under the age of 16 years lies with the Minister for Education and Science. I have statutory responsibility for the provision of spaces for persons of 16 years of age and over.
The Irish Prison Service does not have a facility operating specifically for offenders under 18 years of age. St. Patrick's Institution caters solely for the 16 to 21 year old age category and the majority of offenders under 18 would be committed to this institution. Persons aged 17 years can also be committed to other committal prisons. These institutions also accommodate offenders over 18 years of age. Therefore, the information sought by the Deputy is not available. The annual cost of keeping an offender in St. Patrick's Institution for 2003 was €82,300. The cost of keeping an offender in St. Patrick's Institution for 2004 is not available at present.