Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 September 2026
1025. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of persons aged under 18 years-of-age who had accumulated 30 or more criminal convictions in each of the past ten years; and the highest number of convictions recorded for any child in each year. [64627/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraNeither the Department of Children, Disability and Equality nor Oberstown Children Detention Campus hold records of criminal convictions of children. Convictions are matters before the Courts.
I am advised by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration that the Courts are, subject only to the Constitution and the law. The Courts are independent in the exercise of their statutory functions and the conduct of any case is a matter for the presiding Judge. The Courts Service has a dedicated e-mail address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie.
I can advise the Deputy that Oberstown does hold records on the number of times children were detained at Oberstown. This does not equate to the number of convictions that a child may have received as we operate a policy of detention as a last resort. Furthermore, this data cannot reflect any convictions individuals may have received after they became an adult. Preliminary analysis of those records indicate that no child has accumulated 30 or more admissions to Oberstown.
