THE Minister for Justice has promised to transfer a sex offender attending a north Dublin probation office after parents withdrew over 400 children from an adjoining primary school in protest.
The chairman of the school's board of management, Father Patrick Mangan, said they had been assured that no sex offenders would be assigned to the office in future.
Mrs Owen met a delegation from the board, of management and the parents committee of St Canice's girls' primary school in Finglas yesterday afternoon after 90 per cent of the school's 468 pupils had been kept at home yesterday morning.
She promised to transfer the remaining sex offender attending the probation office to the Circuit Court referral service in Smithfield. She also promised that when the planned Garda closed circuit TV cameras are installed in Finglas in the near future, one would be located at the office.
The Minister said that later this summer the effectiveness of the office will be reviewed.
The chairwoman of the parents' committee, Ms Marie Glass, said what they most objected to was the proximity of the probation office to the school. It is situated on the first floor of an adjoining shopping centre overlooking the school's playground and basketball court.
Fr Mangan said the board had repeatedly stated that the choice of location for the probation and welfare office, next door to a girls' primary school, lacked good planning, sensitivity and vision." It had expressed its concern to the Departments of Justice and Education, and to local politicians.
Last December, before it opened, the Probation and Welfare Service had assured the board that "only offenders from Finglas and environs would be treated; referrals would be made from the district court only; and no sex offenders would be attending," he said.