Industrial Disputes
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-02
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Ruairí Ó Murchú (SF), Louth

I ask that the Minister of State go to the Minister, Deputy Foley, and reiterate the point that this issue, first of all, should not have got here. This is abject failure. We all accept that it would be a difficult place to work and there would be very difficult situations. We are talking about children whom a determination has been made to detain. It frightens me when we hear about assaults on staff and insufficient safety for those who work there and the children detained there. This is not working.
The only the only piece of positive news - and that is a bit of a stretch - is the fact that local engagement is scheduled for this coming Monday, in an effort to find a way forward. I ask that maximum effort be put into finding a solution to this and ensuring that we have a safe level of staffing and that we have the correct protocols for dealing with issues where there may be the possibility of violence and that we have the correct protections. We all know that on some level it is a societal failure when we are looking at children being detained in the first place. We all know that we have to put an awful lot more work into those early interventions and help for children and their families that could avoid if not all, then at least some of this. However, we need to ensure that we protect those who are working in what are very difficult circumstances. If they are not safe, it will be impossible for the children in their care to be safe. I have brought up this issue with the children's committee. I requested that there would be a site visit, but beyond that, there are many questions to be answered. We need to ensure we have the correct protocols for dealing with issues of assaults and ensure there are sufficient staff and protection for those working there and that we ensure safety in Oberstown. I ask the Minister of State to bring this back to the Minister.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:14+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-02