Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 167: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of young offenders currently in custody; the annual average cost of detaining a young offender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9011/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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There are currently 52 children detained in children detention schools and, as of 2 March 2007, 72 young offenders under the age of 18 years detained in St. Patrick's Institution and other facilities under the Irish Prison Service.

The average cost of detaining a young person in a children detention school (formerly an industrial or reformatory school) in 2006 was €423,844. This is a provisional figure pending the final accounts for 2006, and has been provided by my colleague the Minister for Education and Science who had responsibility for the detention of children under 16 years of age up to 1 March 2007.

The average annual cost of detaining a young offender in St. Patrick's Institution in 2006 was €90,700.

As the Deputy will be aware, the detention of young offenders in children detention schools is very different from the detention of adult offenders in the prison system as it is based on principles of care and education aimed at promoting the child's reintegration into society.

On 1 March 2007, outstanding provisions of the Children Act 2001 came into force introducing a range of new measures including community alternatives to detention. This will provide the court with more options for dealing with young offenders so that, in accordance with the Act, detention is used only as a measure of last resort.