Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I join others in asking the Leader for a debate on prisons, in light of the report on St. Patrick's Institution and ask, in particular, that it be a debate about young people and about how we treat them and take care of them when they break the law. Do we treat them, as it appears from the statement by the Ombudsman for Children, as people who have broken the law, or as people who need assistance, care and attention to be rehabilitated so that they can come back into the world and make their own way there rather than end up on a pathway to crime? That pathway is often laid out at the beginning and if it is ignored the situation is exacerbated.

I thank the Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention for his perseverance in regard to St. Patrick's Institution and for his efforts, especially in going in there at times when he was not expected and in the middle of the night in order to make sure that what he reported would be accurate. He has done a good service.

I have another question for the Leader which also relates to young people and is linked to those children.

We have talked before about bullying, particularly cyberbullying. I ask the Leader to write to the Minister for Education and Skills asking for education centres to be brought into the loop, with the rest of the school community, in order to deal with the issue. Last weekend I attended an event run by the Sligo Education Centre. It was attended by parents and teachers who were desperate for information on how young people were treated, cyberbullying and how social networks were used in that regard. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the issue. At 5 p.m. there will be a brief meeting in the AV room to discuss it. As a member of the cross-party committee on mental health, I urge Senators to attend.