Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Joint Committee on Health and Children visited the Oberstown site and all parties were represented.

I commend the Minister on this Bill. It is a heavy burden to carry that we need this detention facility because it means we have failed children in so many ways, but the reality is we need it. What the Minister is doing here in creating the one site is important. We need to ensure the policy of detention as a last resort goes through but I have faith in the Minister.

As I stated, I have concerns about the age cohort and the need to look at the impact. We all need to be open about that. This is where we have failed children in every other aspect where they end up in Oberstown. These are the most challenging and most difficult cases that any of us would face individually but while it is welcome to have them all together on the one campus, we need to be mindful of the challenges that will present. As legislators, we need to be ready to deal with those challenges and the policy issues.