Is the Minister aware that in the prosecution of juveniles there is no requirement on the Garda to serve a copy of the charge sheet on parents and therefore there are many parents who will not be aware that their children are being charged or appearing in court until after it has happened? While I agree with the Minister that parental responsibility is required, would he not agree that the regulations and the rules applying to juveniles should reflect that and should require that parents be informed?

In reply to the first part of Deputy Colley's question, I note what she has said with regard to the procedures that exist. I will inquire into the matter and see what we can do about it. With regard to the second part of the supplementary, I will briefly answer that by saying that recently I spent some time with men who are working in the force in a particular part of Dublin Central. Three members of the force told me that the previous night they had been stoned by a group of youngsters, none of whom they believed were over 12 years of age, within sight and sound of their parents. If the parents take upon themselves the responsibility of bringing these young children into the world surely one would expect that they would take the further rsponsibility on themselves to try to steer them clear of that sort of activity, knowing that it will probably eventually lead them — I hope I am wrong in this — into much greater difficulty in the community.