Minister Fitzgerald welcomes progress on planning process and tendering for the new National Children Detention Facilities at Oberstown

Ms. Frances Fitzgerald T.D., Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has today welcomed the issue of request for tenders for the construction of the new National Children Detention Facilities (NCDF) at Oberstown, Lusk, Co. Dublin. This process will select the main contractor to deliver the construction stage of this project, scheduled to commence in May 2013. The projected project timeline estimate from the Commissioners of Public Works, managing the project on behalf of the Irish Youth Justice Service, indicates that the first new residential units, to provide sufficient capacity to enable the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys from St. Patrick’s Institution, will be available for use by mid 2014.

The Minister said: “This represents another important step toward meeting the commitment in the Programme for Government to end the practice of sending children to St. Patrick’s Institution. The Government has already demonstrated its commitment to this project by putting in place the required funding package, including an allocation of €20.4m in capital funding in the 2013 Estimates. I remain fully committed to ending the use of St. Patrick’s Institution for the detention of children by developing the required facilities on the Oberstown campus.”

Minister Fitzgerald also welcomed the fact that planning permission for the project has been received under Part 9 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2011 “I welcome the fact that planning permission is now in place and the request for tenders issued for this priority project. It is my intention that the practice of detaining children in St. Patrick’s will cease when the first residential units of new detention accommodation under the project will be available. The timely delivery of this project is well under way through the work of the Office of Public Works and my Department. This project will complete a process on which substantial progress has already been made during 2012, with the transfer of responsibility for 16 year old boys from St. Patrick’s Institution to the children detention schools in Oberstown”.

The completion of the full scheme in 2015 will include the replacement of some existing accommodation on the campus which has reached the end of its useful life. The full development will deliver detention services for children in a single location which will maximise the scope for ensuring best practice standards using the children detention school model and operational efficiency.

Note:

Key Points
With effect from 1 January 2012, legal responsibility for the Children Detention Schools was transferred from the Minister for Justice and Equality to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

In April 2012, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs announced a funding package had been secured for the development of children detention facilities at Oberstown, Co. Dublin. The development will allow the ending of the practice of detaining under 18 year olds in St. Patrick’s Institution and replace existing accommodation which has reached the end of its useful life.

On 1 May 2012, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs signed the necessary orders to end the practice of committing 16 year olds to St. Patrick’s Institution. From July 2012 there were no 16 year olds being detained in St. Patrick’s Institution.

With effect from 1 July 2012, with the agreement of the Minister for Justice and Equality, the remit of the Ombudsman for Children has been extended to include 17 year old boys in St. Patrick’s Institution.

Enhanced provision of specialist therapeutic services for children in residential institutions, both in children detention schools and special residential care settings, is being developed by the HSE. A Director for this service has been recruited recently by the HSE.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has welcomed the recent development of a proposal for the temporary placement of a number of care staff from the children detention schools in Oberstown to St Patrick’s Institution, as part of a joint initiative to improve child care practices for the 17 year old age group in that facility. The Minister is keen to see this implemented as soon as possible.

While the Oberstown development project will result in sufficient capacity in Oberstown for all children in detention by mid 2014, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is currently considering the feasibility of accommodating some categories of the 17 year old age group before that date, and has asked the Oberstown Board of Management and the Irish Youth Justice Service (which is now based in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs) to report to her no later than February 2013 on this matter.

Children Detention Schools
There are 3 children detention schools currently in operation, all located on the Oberstown campus at Lusk, Co. Dublin. These are Trinity House School, Oberstown Boys School and Oberstown Girls School. The total current operational capacity on the campus is 44 places for males and 8 places for females. Under current arrangements, the children detention schools are authorised for detaining males under 17 years and females under 18 years of age

St. Patrick’s Institution
St. Patrick’s Institution, North Circular Road, Dublin is an Irish Prison Service facility with an overall capacity of 214 places for 17 to 21 year old males. The facility provides detention places for boys aged 17 years of age, under a transition provision in the Children Act 2001. As of 19 December 2012, there were 27 boys aged 17 years in St. Patrick’s Institution. The Minister for Justice and Equality retains legal responsibility for St Patrick’s Institution, as part of the prison estate managed by the Irish Prison Service.