Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he has summary information on the number of children transferred from industrial school reformatories and other such institutions to psychiatric institutions and mental hospitals; the number of such children; and the institutions and the number of children transferred. [24196/09]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 197: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the issue of children being transferred from industrial school reformatories and other such institutes to psychiatric institutions and mental hospitals has been examined by him; if he has requested this for examination under the redress Act; if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24197/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department would only hold records on those former residents who were placed in Industrial & Reformatory schools by way of a Court hearing. Many children would have been placed in Industrial & Reformatory schools by alternative means, e.g. Health Board referrals, voluntary placements, etc and, in such circumstances, my Department would not generally hold records for such persons.

In addition, my Department has already indicated that there are gaps in the archive of material held which in effect means that the numbers of transfers as are referred to by the Deputy cannot be compiled.

Under the terms of the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002, special provision is made relating to the "residence" requirement. One such provision states that abuse of a child "in an institution" includes any case in which the abuse took place, not in the institution itself, but while the child was residing or being cared for in the institution and the abuse was committed or aided by a person engaged in the management or supervision of the institution or a person otherwise employed in or associated with the institution. Our understanding is that this covers persons who were officially resident in a scheduled institution but who may have been temporarily placed outside the institution during the period of their residency.