Vol. 483 No. 6
27 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the plans, if any, he has to expand the neighbourhood watch scheme; and if he will make funds available to cover the expenses incurred by area co-ordinators in the course of this work. [21252/97]
An evaluation of community based initiatives such as community alert and neighbourhood watch is currently under way. The 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 be examined to ensure that these initiatives can be placed on a secure footing". As the Deputy will appreciate, it would be premature to consider making a decision on funding area co-ordinators until such time as the national evaluation has been carried out and the general funding issue has been addressed.
