Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 1189: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he received the most recent report of the Expert Group on Children Detention Schools; when he proposes to publish the report; if in the interim he will outline the main recommendations of the group; if those recommendations are compatible with the apparent intention, as reported in the media, to detain children in the proposed new Thornton Hall complex; when it is proposed to make decisions on such recommendations as have been made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1522/08]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 1190: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as they relate to detention of a child in the custody of the State; if a proposed detention centre for children as part of the Thornton Hall complex is compatible with those provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1523/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1189 and 1190 together.

The Expert Group on Children Detention Schools was tasked by the Minister for Children in 2006 to initiate and plan for the necessary redevelopment of existing children detention schools and for the development of new facilities to extend the children detention school model to all children who have been ordered to be detained by the Court, and to advise accordingly. Having examined a number of options for such a redevelopment of the children detention schools the Expert Group submitted its final report to my colleague, Mr. Brendan Smith T.D., Minister for Children, in December 2007. I understand that Minister Smith is considering the Expert Group report and intends to bring recommendations to Government in the near future. In light of this, it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment on the report at this time except to say that the Report will be published at an early date.

The redevelopment of children detention school places will take time as it requires detailed planning, design and consultation with stakeholders to ensure that high quality facilities are created. In the interim it is necessary to retain the use of St. Patrick's Institution until suitable children detention school places can be created with regard to 16 and 17 year old boys.

As all prison accommodation on the Mountjoy site, including St. Patrick's Institution, is to be closed it is necessary to make provision for interim accommodation, should it be required, for 16 and 17 year old boys on the Thornton Hall campus. The campus structure of Thornton Hall will ensure that a facility for 16 and 17 year old boys is completely segregated from facilities being used by adult offenders. While it is prudent to ensure detention services are available to the Courts the redevelopment of children detention school places will not be affected by this interim measure. On completion of the detention school development project all children under 18 years of age being detained will only be accommodated in dedicated children facilities. This is compatible with Article 37 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and as provided for in the Children Act 2001, as amended.