Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs
Operations of Oberstown Children Detention Centre
9:00 am
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank the witnesses for coming in. The first two questioners have got to the root of some of the difficult issues facing everybody involved in Oberstown. Mr. Bergin told us the staff numbers have increased, that three schools came together. I presume there were different operational cultures in the three schools. Could Mr. Bergin give us some insight into the difficulties surrounding that and whether there were different practices that had to be re-learned or changed? The maximum number in the legislation is 48 boys and six girls. Mr. Bergin has told us that is the current number or maybe I am wrong. Can Mr. Bergin clarify that? Deputy Rabbitte said there is one girl. At the time of the incident there were 41 present. That looks like a good staff-to-young-person ratio.