Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the urgency of this and I take it with the utmost seriousness when we cannot provide a bed for young people whom the courts wish to refer. Every effort is being made by the management team in Oberstown and by the IYJS, which has responsibility for this area in my Department, and by the board, chaired by Mr. Joe Horan. They have done a great amount of work with the staff.

Progress has been made in getting that new roster. There were two and a half years of negotiations, which ended in a Labour Court recommendation. The staff have co-operated with that. Historical practices have to be changed and are being changed, with the co-operation of the staff. The Haddington Road agreement applies as well, so there is an increase in the hours that are expected. That should help in respect of rosters and bed availability as well, along with funding for extra staff. The combination should lead to those extra places being available, and I will ensure that they are available as soon as possible. No effort is being spared in trying to arrive at a solution.

There was no problem providing bed spaces last year or at the beginning of this year. In recent weeks there has been an increase in the referrals, and that was hard to predict because figures for juvenile crime in Ireland are going down. Fewer offences are being committed by young people in all areas, including in anti-social behaviour. However, we are getting this group of young people aged 16 to 17 that the courts are referring for detention. We will make every effort to ensure those beds are available as soon as possible.