Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a commitment in the programme for Government to end the practice of detaining children in adult prison facilities, which under the Children Act 2001 means all young people up to the age of 18 years. I wish to assure the House that this will be at the top of my agenda, as it was for my predecessor. The transfer of responsibility for 16 year old boys has already taken place and this commitment under the programme for Government will be met in full later this year when the extension of the Oberstown campus results in the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys from the adult prison system to the children detention schools.

Following the appointment of the main contractor and a number of sub-contractors, construction on the Oberstown development project started on 23 September 2013. The project will increase the number of children detention places available on the campus to a total of 90 and will enable the extension of the child care model of detention to all under 18 years. The first three units of residential accommodation are scheduled to be delivered by the end of this year in order to facilitate the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys from the adult prison system. A further three residential units, to be delivered in 2015, will replace existing detention buildings used by Oberstown Boys School which have reached the end of their useful life. The Office of Public Works, OPW, is overseeing the delivery of the project with the contractor involved, BAM Building Limited. I understand there has been some weeks' delay in the construction programme due to weather and other issues but the OPW and the Department continue to emphasise the need to make up any time possible in order to meet the agreed project timeline for delivery of the first three units by the end of this year.

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