Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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184. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the average cost per annum to the State for a juvenile offender under 18 years serving a custodial sentence or other form of court mandated detention in 2011, 2012 and 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8526/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I understand that my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, is providing a separate answer in relation to children detained in adult prison facilities.

I have responsibility for the children detention schools under Part 10 of the Children Act, 2001. The three children detention schools in the State are located in Oberstown, Lusk, Co Dublin and comprise Trinity House School, Oberstown Boys School and Oberstown Girls School, all of which are located in Oberstown, Lusk, Co Dublin. Both Trinity House School and Oberstown Boys School are responsible for detention of males up to the age of 17 years. Oberstown Girls School provides detention places for females up to the age of 18 years.

The average cost per annum of each detention place in Oberstown is estimated by averaging out the number of detention places available over the combined pay and non pay costs of the children detention schools in each year in question. This results in the following costs:

It should be noted that the emphasis on individual care, education and rehabilitation in the child care model of detention in Oberstown results in staffing costs that are significantly in excess of comparable costs for places in the adult prison system. This is reflected in the annual cost estimates listed above.