Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 November 2006
266 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his proposals to develop the Oberstown Campus in County Dublin as a national centre for the detention of children; the number of children up to 18 years of age who will be detained in the complex; and his proposals for the development of the site. [35715/06]
Amharc ar fhreagraAmendments to the Children Act 2001 included in the Criminal Justice Act 2006 extend the children detention school model to all offenders under the age of 18 and transfer responsibility for the detention of young people to the remit of my Department from that of my colleague the Minister for Education and Science. This role in my Department is managed by a new executive office, the Irish Youth Justice Service, which operates within the policy parameters of the Office of the Minister for Children.
It has been agreed by my colleague the Minister for Children and myself, that the existing accommodation and other facilities at the Oberstown campus need to be replaced. In addition, the accommodation requirements of children aged 16 and 17 years within a children detention school model need to be met. In order to plan for these developments an Expert Group was set up. This Group is considering a range of issues including location of a national centre, capacity requirements and suitable infrastructure for care and education programmes. The Expert Group is expected to make an interim report to myself and the Minister for Children by the end of this year.
