Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to provide support to the survivors of the Magdalene Laundries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18796/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Research has indicated that a small proportion of entrants to Magdalen laundries came through the criminal justice system. Under the Probation of Offenders Act 1907, a person found to have committed a criminal offence may be made subject to a probation order under which the offender is released on entering a recognizance to be of good behaviour and subject to conditions. The duration of the order cannot exceed 3 years but if it is breached, the recognizance can be forfeit and the offender can be brought before the court for sentencing for the original offence. It has been established that in 1922 and subsequent years, courts did on occasion include a condition in a probation order that the female person who had been found to have committed a criminal offence, should reside in a particular institution for the duration of the order. Magdalen laundries were among the institutions used in this connection.

Pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act 1960, St. Mary's Magdalen Asylum, Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1 was used as a period as a remand centre for female persons aged from 16 to 21 charged with criminal offences. The indications are that the periods of remand were normally quite short - a matter of days. As I have already informed the House, officials of my Department met with representatives of Justice for the Magdalenes on the 14th December, 2009. There was a good exchange of information at that meeting. For the information of the Deputy and the House my Department does not hold records that would identify the number of women who were sent to Magdalen Laundries since the foundation of the State. However, my Department and the National Archives do have some limited records relating to payments made in respect of persons remanded to St. Mary Magdalen Asylum in Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1. I again repeat my willingness to allow access to those incomplete records in the normal way.