I wish to inform the Deputy that the Probation of Offenders Act, 1907, provides that where guilt has been proven the court may make an order discharging the offender conditionally. The conditions attached to such orders may include attendance at a workshop or day centre under the supervision of the Probation and Welfare Service. It is a matter for the Court to decide in which cases the Probation of Offenders Act, 1907, should be applied.
My Department's Probation and Welfare Service is involved in a number of these workshops and day centres operated in local communities and provides annual grants towards their costs. Offenders attending the centres may learn a number of skills, e.g., computers, woodwork, catering, photography, as well as basic literacy and numeracy skills. These workships and day centres are managed by a community based management committee comprising statutory and local community representatives, for example, the Garda, the Probation and Welfare Service, local business, the Vocational Educational Committee and FÁS. Vocational training courses are run by the Vocational Education Committees and FÁS. Among the aims of these workshops/day centres is the training of offenders for employment. In many cases arrangements are made with local employers for the placement of suitable offenders. This arrangement has proven to be of great benefit both to the offender and the employer and indeed the community. Many offenders subsequently find permanent work.
