Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1958. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average daily cost per individual detained in Oberstown Detention Centre; the annual State funding given to the detention centre in each of the years 2019 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21056/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Oberstown Children Detention Campus is the State’s sole detention centre for children. The maximum occupancy in Oberstown is set by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality by way of a certificate made under the Children Act 2001.

This certificate is currently set at 46 (40 boys and 6 girls).

The table below shows the financial allocation to Oberstown for the years 2019 to 2024, the average daily population per year, the average cost per individual per year and the average cost per individual per day.

Under the Children Act, Oberstown is required to have places available for the courts according to the certificate of occupancy made by the Minister. Therefore, the costs of operating the Campus are not very sensitive to the fluctuations in occupancy, resulting in higher average costs per individual when occupancy is lower, as occurred during 2021 and 2022 as a result of the covid pandemic.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1959. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will identify all the youth detention centres across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21059/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Oberstown Children Detention Campus is Ireland’s only national centre for the detention, care and education of young people under 18 years referred by the courts on detention or remand orders. Established under the Children Act 2001, Oberstown provides individualised care to young people through an integrated multi-professional approach that enables young people to address their offending behaviour and return successfully to society.

Historically, the Oberstown Campus site near Lusk in North County Dublin was home to three semi-independent detention schools - Oberstown Boys, Oberstown Girls and Trinity House School. Works were undertaken from 2013 to construct six new, up-to-date residential units with education and administration buildings. This development concluded in 2015. The three schools were amalgamated into Oberstown Children Detention Campus in June 2016, and it is now the sole place of detention in the State for those under the age of 18.