Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

In the context of young people under 18 who are still accommodated in St. Patrick's, as the Deputy knows it is Government policy to bring that to an end and that requires the building of the new facility in Oberstown in Lusk. The planning for that will continue into 2012 and plans are being drawn up. From 1 January it will fall into the remit of the Minister for Children, which is where it should be.

As matters stand, at present St Patrick's Institution, because it is a prison primarily for adults over 18, does not fall within the general remit of the Ombudsman for Children. Should a prisoner in that prison wish to consult the ombudsman or the ombudsman wish to visit the prison, I can assure the Deputy that facility will be made available and no obstacle will be put in the way.

I do not know why there are occasions when people request complaint forms and do not lodge complaints. It may be on occasions they do not have a real complaint to make. As I have drawn to the Deputy's attention, we are going to do everything possible to ensure that there is independent oversight. The visiting committee, from reading its report relating to St Patrick's institution, was a very dedicated committee which engaged in its work very diligently and produced a report in which it set out its views.

I want to move from a situation where what happens in practice is that visiting committees, although they can contact the Minister during the year, tend to produce annual reports. I want direct communication between those appointed to prison visiting committees and the inspector of prisons. During the course of a year if there is a particular issue and they want to draw it to the inspector's attention they can do so and we will formalise in law an arrangement between members of the visiting committees and the inspector of prisons. That will produce better independent oversight and I hope we will be in a position to publish that legislation during the course of 2012.

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