asked the Minister for Justice if any significant research has been carried out by his Department into the social background of young offenders to determine the extent and implications of environmental and social factors on the psycho-dynamics of what is called juvenile crime.

The aetiology of crime is the subject of a great deal of research in many countries and the results of much of that research are available in various publications. The resources available to my Department have not been sufficient to enable it either to engage in or to commission expensive research projects but the results of research and experience in other countries in the criminological and penological fields have been of assistance particularly in the development of our prison welfare, educational and training facilities.