Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I agree. Of course, there should have been an aftercare plan in place for these 20 young people. There was such a plan, but I concur with the Deputy that there is a need for further research of outcomes. There is also a need to carry out additional research of young people in detention. We need to evaluate outcomes as we do not have enough research findings in these areas. I will certainly see if it is possible to obtain data for the 20 young people in question in order to try to assess what actually happened. There was an aftercare plan in place and I would like to discover what progress was made. These young people would, of course, be most vulnerable, as evidenced by the fact that they were placed in special care by the High Court for their own safety.

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