Vol. 481 No. 7
107 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has considered the recent proposal for funding submitted to him for a pilot programme for the development of Neighbourhood Watch for Cork City; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16867/97]
The Department has recently initiated an evaluation of community based initiatives such as community alert and neighbourhood watch. This review is taking place in the context of the report of the Task Force on the Security of the Elderly which recommended that a comprehensive evaluation and assessment be carried out of all the various community based initiatives to ensure that all areas of the country are adequately covered and that the question of the provision of appropriate funding is examined so that these initiatives can be placed on a secure footing.
It would be premature to consider funding a specific neighbourhood watch project until such time as the national evaluation has been carried out and a decision made about funding. Work on the evaluation phase of the review recently commenced.
