Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 407: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to end overcrowding at Cork Prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35644/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that on 18 November, 2011, there were a total of 290 prisoners in custody in Cork prison compared to a bed capacity of 272. As I said last week in my replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 196 and 197 on 16 November, 2011, the Government remains very much committed to addressing the twin problems of overcrowding and poor physical conditions particularly in Mountjoy and Cork prisons. The Deputy can be assured that the need to improve conditions in Cork Prison will form a significant element of the Prison Service's strategy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 408: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to end the imprisonment of children at St. Patrick's Institution, Dublin; the timeframe he will use to meet this commitment as set out in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35645/11]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 409: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to proceed with the national children's detention facility, Oberstown, Lusk, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35646/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 408 and 409 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the children detention schools under Part 10 of the Children Act, 2001 will shortly transfer to my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The Children Act, 2001 allows for 16 and 17 year old males to be detained in St. Patrick's Institution until such time as sufficient places are provided under the children detention school model. There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to end the practice of sending children to St. Patrick's Institution. It is the Government's intention that this practice will end when accommodation is available in the children detention schools in Oberstown, County Dublin through the development of new national children detention facilities at that site. Design work for the project to develop the additional capacity required in Oberstown is at an advanced stage and planning approval is in place.

The Government remains committed to ending the use of St. Patrick's Institution for the detention of 16 and 17 year old males. To this end, the Irish Youth Justice Service has been tasked with progressing the design work and tender documentation for the project during 2012. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and I are in consultations with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on the funding of the subsequent construction stage of the project with a view to allowing the project to proceed to tender when the necessary preparations have been completed.