Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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22. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide a progress report on the developments at Oberstown; the current status of the construction works; the anticipated completion date of same; when the new facilities will be commissioned and the current usage of St. Patrick's; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35742/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to end the practice of detaining children in adult prison facilities, which under the Children Act 2001 means all young people up to the age of 18 years. This will be met in full later this year when the extension of the Oberstown campus results in the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys from the adult prison system to the children detention schools.

Following the appointment of a main contractor and a number of sub-contractors, construction on the Oberstown development project started on site on 23 September 2013. The project will provide sufficient new detention places to enable the extension of the child care model of detention to all under 18 year olds ordered to be remanded or committed by the courts on criminal justice charges. I am advised that the first 3 units of residential accommodation are scheduled to be delivered by the end of this year, in order to facilitate the transfer of responsibility for 17 year old boys from the adult prison system. A further 3 residential units, to be delivered in 2015, will replace existing detention buildings used by Oberstown Boys School and Oberstown Girls School which have reached the end of their useful life. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is overseeing the delivery of the project on behalf of my Department with the main contractor involved, BAM Building Ltd.

In addition to the capital project, there is an ongoing programme of reforms aimed at enhancing the effective management and capacity of services on the Oberstown campus.

The transfer of responsibility for 16 year old boys campus was implemented in 2012 and the logistical and legal aspects of accommodating 17 year old boys in custody on remand in Oberstown at the earliest possible date are currently being examined.

A recruitment process carried out in late 2013 has resulted in the appointment of a Campus Manager for the Oberstown campus. The Campus Manager reports to the Board of Management and is responsible for driving the reforms that are currently taking place in Oberstown, in particular the integration of the 3 children detention schools into a single entity.

A care staff recruitment programme, to meet the needs of the increased capacity in children detention places on the Oberstown campus, is well advanced. This is the first additional recruitment of staff to the campus in many years. I am advised that employment contracts are currently being issued to qualified candidates and that the first group of new staff is due to commence employment in Oberstown for orientation and training next month.

Heads of a Bill for amendments to the Children Act 2001 were recently approved by Cabinet and drafting work is now underway with a view to its enactment before the end of 2014. The Bill will, in particular, provide for the legal amalgamation of the 3 existing children detention schools and the repeal of all current legal provisions which permit the detention of children in the adult prison system.