The Children's Right Alliance is calling on Government to urgently review its decision to postpone the new detention centre for teenage boys in Oberstown, Dublin.

Chief Executive, Tanya Ward, said: "It is of utmost importance that the same creative energies, used to find funding for the new children’s hospital, are now used to stop the inappropriate practice of detaining children in St Patrick's Institution. If the Government was able to find funding for the children's hospital, then it can also find funding for the development of a National Children's Detention facility.

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"Not only is the practice of detaining children in an adult prison regime in direct contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Ireland in 1992, but it makes no sense economically. St Pat's is dubbed the 'Crime School', with many children going on to reoffend well into adulthood. Investment in these children now will pay dividends in the long-term."

The group said it requires action at the "highest level" and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is also pushing hard for this.

(CD/GK)