Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

The custodial sentence was handed down in a very complex case which was taken to court as a last resort. There were many other interventions prior to that. However, I cannot discuss the details of a specific case or argue with a judgment handed down by the courts.

The NEWB is concentrating on the DEIS areas and is dealing with school attendance. I do not accept that we have a chronic school attendance problem. A number of strategies are in place. It is my intention to reform the NEWB with a view to integrating services. That will be of great help in dealing with this situation.

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