Dáil Éireann - Snippets

Dáil Éireann - Volume 94 - 20 June, 1944
Mr. Byrne: A few weeks ago, the Minister's attention was drawn to the 800 children before the Dublin School Attendance Committee for non-attendance at school, whose mothers in most cases said they either had not boots or clothing to send the children to school. Now these children do not go to school, but are taken up and sent to an industrial school, where they are provided with boots, clothes, food and shelter. If the unfortunate mother had had a voucher to get boots for them, and a little coat, the children would have the parent now to look after them, and give them home comforts, instead of overloading our industrial schools. Our Dublin children are sent down to Waterford and Cork, where their parents cannot see them for some time.

Seán MacCárthaigh: I must again refer to what Deputy Byrne said about the industrial schools. I mentioned it here recently. He was speaking about those children being removed from their families so that their families could not see them for some years. I know definitely that, year after year, when transport was better than it is now, the Very Rev. Provincial of the school to which he refers in the County Cork paid out of the school funds the railway fares for those children to go to their homes.

Dáil Éireann - Volume 101 - 12 June, 1946
Mr. Allen (for Mr. O'Connor) asked the Minister for Education if he will state how many children were committed to industrial schools, in the year 1945, on the grounds that their parents were unable to maintain them; and the total amount, paid out of public funds, to such schools, for the maintenance of such children.

Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Mr. Little) (for Minister for Education): During the school year ended 31st July, 1945—the latest date to which complete returns are available —the number of children committed to industrial schools on the statutory grounds that their parents were unable to maintain them was 242 (89 boys and 153 girls). The total amount paid out of public funds in that period towards the maintenance of these children was £9,438; this amount was paid on the basis of a capitation grant of 7/6 per head per week from the State and a similar sum from the local authorities responsible under the Children Acts for the maintenance of the children.

Dáil Éireann - Volume 103 - 07 November, 1946
Mr. Dillon asked the Minister for Education if he will state the number of children, other than those who have been committed for juvenile delinquency, at present in industrial schools; how many such children are boarded out; what is the cost, to the local authority, of children in such schools; and what is the cost to local authorities of boarded-out children.

Minister for Education (Mr. Derrig): On the 30th September last (the latest date to which figures are available) the total number of children under detention in industrial schools was 6,446, of whom 6,176 were committed for reasons other than juvenile delinquency; only one of these children is boarded out; the cost to the local authorities of children in industrial schools for whose maintenance they are responsible was a contribution at the rate of 7/6 weekly per head up to the 30th September last; a revised rate of 8/- weekly is payable as from the 1st of the present month; the cost to the responsible local authority of the one child boarded out is a contribution of 7/6 weekly, payable to the manager of the school from which the child was boarded out.