Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate – Dáil Éireann (34th Dáil) – Thursday, 19 Jun 2025

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Sports Facilities

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

I raise the issue of funding for school facilities, particularly sports facilities such as playing facilities, AstroTurf pitches, renewal of grass surfaces and changing room facilities for voluntary schools. There are some great programmes in the summer works scheme and other newer schemes to do with climate action and preparing buildings for climate change, which are welcome. There is a gaping hole in the funding profile for schools when it comes to outdoor facilities. A key requirement for our schools is to provide non-classroom environments for students to keep them engaged and give them other experiences outdoors. For girls, in particular, it is very difficult to keep them involved in sport as they get older. A key way to do this is through the school system. To do that, a school needs good playing facilities, particularly outdoors. There is no mechanism for that at the moment. Will the Government consider in the medium term putting a scheme together, similar to the summer works programme, in which schools can apply for funding for sports facilities and renewal of sports facilities?

I am not talking about capital in the sense of acquiring land, but there are many schools in the country that have had facilities for a long time that require renewal. Asking parents and schools to do fundraising without, at the very least, matching funding from the Government is really difficult.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Neale Richmond)

I sincerely thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising this topic, which he knows is extremely close to my heart. He has years of experience of involvement, in his local community of Clontarf and beyond, in this specific area and this is a great opportunity to delve into it a little bit.

Since 2020 the Department of education has invested more than €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan. This has involved the completion of more than 1,375 school building projects. Government support for that investment has delivered real benefits. A recent Government decision has approved €210 million in supplementary capital funding for the Department. This brings the total capital allocation for 2025 to €1.6 billion.

The provision of school places, including for children with special education needs, has been a priority for the Department over recent years and this will continue to be the case. Nevertheless, the Minister for Education and Youth fully recognises the importance of physical activity and recreational facilities for students of all ages. It is important to note the provision of outdoor play areas forms part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school. The current design guidance for new primary and post-primary schools includes hard-surfaced play areas for both recreation and physical education activities. The guidance also includes provision of landscaped areas on school sites providing a variety of external informal and social areas to suit the learning development and cultural needs of students during breaks and before and after school, and for a range of more formal curriculum needs.

In addition, the design guidance for accommodation for pupils with special educational needs includes provision of external play areas with soft surfacing and especially sensory gardens. The Deputy has raised this a number of times, including when he was on the city council. The increased level of sensory gardens in our national schools is something we should all be so proud of. They are having a huge impact. My son's school just opened a new one and it is making a world of difference to every pupil.

To the Deputy's specific point, repairs to existing play areas may be considered under the Department's emergency works scheme. The purpose of that scheme is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. The scheme is intended to remedy an emergency situation and usually provides an interim measure until a permanent solution can be delivered. In the case of outdoor play areas this usually only includes repairs to existing play areas, but each application is assessed on its own merits.

Additionally, as the Deputy has alluded to, the Minister recently announced details in respect of the climate action summer works scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works that, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times to avoid disrupting the operation of the school. This scheme will operate on a multi-annual basis for a number of categories, including external environment projects, which could include the provision or upgrade of outdoor play areas. The new scheme opened for applications in early May 2025 and all applications must be received by 5.30 p.m. on 30 June.

Deputy Ó Muirí's recommendation has serious validity. I am more than happy to bring that back to the Department of education and thank the Deputy for bringing it to the floor of the House.

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I welcome his comments and appreciate the investment he has outlined in general terms into school facilities. On the challenge with emergency works, I will give Manor House School in Raheny as an example. It is a very popular girls' school. It has a large AstroTurf pitch beside the school which belongs to it. The surface is really poor. It is an enormous job. I doubt it will qualify for any emergency works scheme because the scale of it is too large, but there is a huge opportunity there for the community in terms of partnership and for the school itself in the long term if we can find ways to partner on that.

I also want to raise the situation that has come up very recently in relation to Belgrove Infant Girls' School in Clontarf. Due to its enrolment numbers it has had its funding allocation cut for one teacher, potentially causing serious difficulty in the school. Depending on how the management of that school distributes staff, which I appreciate is a management decision, we could end up with a situation where there are 35 pupils to one teacher in that school. The Minister of State will understand that would be a very challenging situation for the school and for the management. I am raising it in the hope the Minister of State will raise it with the Minister, so it is looked at.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I fully empathise, especially with the comparison with Manor House School. I happen to know the pitch quite well from previous exploits as a really bad coach. I appreciate a pitch of that size represents serious capital work that is obviously way beyond the schemes laid out that are open at the moment. However, we have seen examples where there have been what I would not call public-private partnerships but community partnerships involving the local authorities and local sports and schools at both primary and post-primary levels to provide new pitches. Obviously, the common-sense approach is to remediate existing facilities, especially when we are talking about all-weather surfaces like 3G and 4G. Those are expensive as they are a bit more than the hard play areas the Department is focused on at the moment, so that is an area where there is not a lack of funding or will but there is a need for a specific stream to cater to that.

The situation of Belgrove Infant Girls' School in Clontarf is one that is coming up in a number of schools around the country. This is the time of year when they come up. The Minister will look favourably where there is a situation the Department can work with management to facilitate. I have no hesitation in saying I will sit down with the Minister for Education and Youth and specifically raise the issue of Belgrove Infant Girls' School in Clontarf on the Deputy’s recommendation.

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí

I thank the Minister of State.

School Funding

Deputy Malcolm Byrne

I thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. Listening to him respond to the last matter, I understand his passion for primary schools, which we all share. Primary schools are at the hub of all our communities and we often marvel at the work done by principals in primary schools who not only are they leading in the education of the children in the schools, but they are responsible, essentially, for being project managers within the school as well. Schools get paid a capitation grant to manage their day-to-day operations and some people wonder what that goes towards. It covers everything from cleaning to electricity, sanitary wear, water, insurance, heating, the school website, security, the fire alarm, the photocopier, waste disposal, accounting and telephone costs. Everything in a normal household or business is managed, effectively, within the school community.

The challenge, as the Minister of State knows well, is those costs have been continuing to rise. In the current school year the capitation payment to primary schools is €200 but it is to increase from this September to €224. However, because of cost-of-living increases announced in the budget last year primary schools received an extra €36 per student in the 2024-2025 school year. Consequently, in real terms the capitation grant for the 2024-2025 year, including the cost-of-living allowance per pupil, was €236, whereas in the coming year it will be €224. While the core grant has certainly increased by 12% and that is welcome, without the cost-of-living provision being made primary schools will be operating on less money in net terms.

I am not going to say second level schools are adequately funded when it comes to capitation either, as they need additional resources. However, the per pupil allocation from this September for second level students is €386. I get that second level students are a bit bigger, but we are still often talking about broadly the same footprint and the same responsibilities that have to be managed within the school. That there is such a disparity - and every time there is a welcome increase that disparity grows - begs the question as to why that difference exists. What we have seen is an increased reliance by our primary schools on voluntary contributions and ones from the wider community. That contributes to a greater disparity between schools.

Schools that are better at fundraising, particularly if they are in better-off areas, are much more able to generate income to carry out what is the day to day work of a school. I also raise a question on capitation. I get that it is per head. There is no regard to the physical size of the school or the type of building it is. If you are operating in a really old school that is hard to heat, as opposed to a modern school, your heating costs are far more substantial. There is a need for an overall review to look at the full economic cost of running our primary schools, but there is a question about why the disparity continues between primary and second level.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I had to check my phone because in the Deputy's new guise as Oireachtas AI committee chairperson, I had to see if he had been reading my phone for the correspondence I have just had with the principal of a local national school in my area on more or less this exact point. This is an issue that regularly comes up for every Member of this House and I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House, on behalf of the Minister, the position as to why the capitation grant for primary schools is less than that paid to secondary schools.

As the Deputy knows, the Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to all schools of all types to ensure they can meet the elevated day to day running costs. The commitment in the programme for Government builds on the progress that has been made in recent years including a more than €30 million permanent increase in capitation funding. This represents an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and results in the standard rates increasing from €200 to €224 for primary schools and from €345 to €386 per student in post-primary schools from September 2025. Over the past two budgets there has been an increase of 22%, give or take, in the level of capitation rates paid to all schools.

The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general upkeep and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools have the flexibility to use capitation funding provided for general running costs and ancillary funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services as a common grant from which the board of management can allocate according to its own priorities. Primary schools with fewer than 60 pupils are paid the capitation and ancillary grants on the basis of having 60 pupils, no less. In addition to these grants, €45 million in cost-of-living supports were issued in November 2024 to support all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education system. This additional funding announced in the budget is designed to assist schools with increased day to day running costs such as the heating and electricity issues laid out by the Deputy. The funding was paid at a rate of €36 per pupil in primary schools and €55 per student in post-primary schools. Enhanced rates were also paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and pupils from a Traveller background.

The Department of Education is aware that costs and funding can pose a particular problem for schools, and is constantly working to address this matter and to enhance the financial and other supports available. While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department will continue to seek and prioritise the funding required to meet the ongoing costs. It is difficult to make precise comparisons between the levels of grants paid and the actual costs of running schools at primary and post-primary level. In general, and put simply, post-primary schools are larger than primary schools. They have specialist rooms such as laboratories, workshops etc. This leads to higher unit costs for heat, light, power, maintenance and cleaning. There are also additional resources required at post-primary level for specialist subjects, such as home economics, wood technology, engineering, graphics and applied technology. There is therefore a difference in the level of capitation funding provided to primary and post-primary schools. The current standard rate of capitation grant is €200 per pupil in primary schools and €345 per student in post-primary schools.

What the Department will not let me say is that it is not that we are comparing apples and oranges. It is that perhaps we are comparing Golden Delicious and Granny Smiths. They are different sized entities, and the pupils are a different size. There are more staff and a requirement for more staff. The costs are on the basis that trying to provide catering facilities in post-primary schools is different from the resources needed for the free hot school meals provided at primary level. There will always be a need to increase the funding for both primary and post-primary but there will always be a difference between those schools which the Deputy and I know clearly through our work.

Deputy Malcolm Byrne

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I totally get that there are differences between schools. Even within the primary school sector, I made the point that an old school that is very difficult to heat is totally different to a new modern build school. However, a lot of the costs will be the same. There is obviously a question about the overall quantum and there is certainly a case for additional funding for second-level schools. It is about the scale of the difference, and I get the Minister of State's point. The last point in the Department's statement is that this year it is €200 per pupil at primary level. It is €345 at second level. Because of a 12% increase applied to both, it will from this September go to €224 and €386. The actual financial difference is continuing to grow. We all know, when we go into primary schools that every one of them is constantly facing the challenges of meeting the day to day running costs. The model has been used since the 1960s so there is a case to review what is the best economic model to ensure the administrative side of primary schools can be dealt with. I appreciate we are moving into budget negotiations, but the fact that we are now talking about going to €224 for primary school students and €386 at second level represents a significant difference. As a priority we need to address the question of the funding of the administration of our primary schools.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I will address three points in response. I will come to a broader point, but the first is that if there are specific schools, the FSSU on behalf of the Department plays a crucial role in seeing where there are funding gaps. In order for the Department to assess the current financial situation, the school needs to engage with the FSSU for the purpose. The Department will refer this school to the FSSU once confirmation of the situation is confirmed. If you have an individual school in your constituency facing specific needs that is where the FSSU can work in tandem with the Department. That is the first specific point. However, when a principal goes to you, they will thank you for that but say it is not going to solve their issue in the next 24 to 48 hours, and you should talk about that.

Another area relates to the need to look at the overall economic model. The Deputy is right. There is no way I can disagree with that. If we are looking at a model based on a 1960s parameter, it is of course time to review or refresh that 60 years on. I am more than happy to make that argument to the Minister on the Deputy's behalf. However, the final point relates to the administrative costs of running schools at primary level. Never mind the 1960s, the administrative costs compared with six years ago are completely unrecognisable. The wonderful advances in special education provision, free hot meals provision and the extra ability for schools to do more comes with a greater cost. It comes with a greater cost, but those costs are not being matched. Those costs and responsibilities are falling on the shoulders of principals, many of them teaching principals. We regularly get questions from constituents as to why their child does not have free hot school meals. It is either due to space or capacity with staff. That is an area that needs review, and I would be more than happy to work with the Deputy to ensure that review is forthcoming and works to the betterment of all our schools.

Apprenticeship Programmes

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. The question concerns budgetary issues facing SOLAS and the ETBs and the detrimental impact this may have on the delivery of apprenticeships. We all know the importance of apprenticeships. I submitted this on the basis that myself, Deputy Cullinane and a number of our colleagues heard word on the grapevine about individual LMETBs saying their finances and budget had been slashed. How it was put to me is that in 2025 the budget is possibly more than €40 million less. On that basis we are looking at the possibility that when we are meant to have an intake of new trade and other apprenticeships in July, they could be put back to September or October and some of them could be cancelled.

We all know about the housing crisis and it would be unheard of if this were to happen. Usually, we would be talking in here about ramping up the delivery of apprenticeships. I met the Minister and I also met the previous Minister at the opening of facilities in my constituency involved in the training of apprentices. We want to see more of that.

This may have an impact on further education across the board. I refer to all sorts of apprenticeships, including in PLCs, and in community education whereby people study at night either part time or full time. I am incredibly worried, but I hope the Minister will set my mind at ease, and the minds of the stakeholders who have contacted us, as well as people who are looking forward to doing an apprenticeship and those who will require the apprentices. It is vital that he gives the answer that is required.

Deputy David Cullinane

I too have been contacted by the Waterford-Wexford ETB. The issue seems to relate to the contract training programme for apprenticeships. My understanding is that there was a bid process previously, known as a funding allocation request, FAR, to the then Department of Education, based on the number of apprenticeships an ETB would fund and they would get the funding on that basis. Apparently, this year or last year, there was a shift and now there is an allocation as opposed to a bid.

There is also an issue due to the fact that so many of the phase 2 classes are being paid phase 4 funding and rates because of Covid. That is one of the differences. I have been told that there is a shortfall of between €40 million and €50 million across all of the ETBs. I have also been told that in the Waterford-Wexford ETB, up to 500 phase 2 apprenticeships may not go ahead in June, as they will not be called. There is very real concern in that regard. In fairness to Waterford-Wexford ETB, the number of apprenticeships has been increased. Some 1,000 apprentices now go through the doors. There is a new unit on the Waterford industrial estate that caters for an additional four phase 2 electrical classes and there is one additional plumbing class. In the Wexford FET, there were four additional electrical classes, one plumbing class and one metal fabrication class. In the Kilcohan training centre, there is an additional electrical class and also a brand new wood manufacturing class. I expect the Minister will agree that all of these are very important. We want more apprenticeships but there seems to be a funding issue, which we are being told about. We are asking for clarity from the Minister. We are being told this could have an impact on some of the classes due to go ahead in the summer, or that will not go ahead, as the case may be. I do not want to see that happen. Deputy Ó Murchú does not want to see it happen. I am sure the Minister does not want to see it happen. We are trying to establish whether there is an issue, what it is, if the Minister is across it and if it will be resolved.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy James Lawless)

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí as an gceist seo a ardú. I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter.

As the Deputies opposite are most likely aware, SOLAS is the State agency responsible for the further education and training sector. A key part of its remit and duties is to allocate funding to the education and training boards to deliver further education and training programmes, including apprenticeships, in alignment with Government priorities. I prioritised the partnerships, which are critical to the success of many of our national challenges, including construction, but also across the board.

I support the apprenticeship system to the extent of broadening and widening it and increasing the number of courses and occupations that can be accessed through the apprenticeship journey. I am very much committed to that path. I also very much want to support the system and to grow it. However, issues have arisen operationally and that is part of the reason we are having this debate.

Each ETB within the system is responsible for ensuring its activities are delivered within the scope of its allocated funding. Engagement occurs between SOLAS and the ETBs on a regular basis and there are annual reviews. Through the ongoing engagement, a funding pressure has recently been identified for the 2025 apprenticeship budget. This pressure is primarily linked to the cost of State allowances paid to apprentices during their off-the-job training phases. Like the Deputies opposite, I have heard about this both officially and on the grapevine. It is an issue that has emerged very recently.

I assure colleagues that the issue is being taken very seriously and that a pathway forward will be found. SOLAS is currently actively engaged with the ETBs and my Department to identify practical and sustainable solutions. I am taking a very keen interest in the discussions, which are ongoing. I am adamant that a solution must be found.

The demand across the system has grown significantly, especially in the area of craft apprenticeships, with yearly registrations increasing from 5,271 in 2019, up by 35% to 7,113 in 2024. There is an ongoing significant uplift in demand that is placing pressures on apprenticeships. That is a good thing because we want more apprentices in the system, but it does require greater supports and resources to be made available.

Overall, there were 25,000 craft apprentices at the end of 2024, up from 16,000 in 2019. One of the Deputies mentioned the previous backlog in phase 2, which has largely been addressed, but it moves the demand curve up to phase 4. The ongoing pressures have, thankfully, moved through the system, but they are still within the system. The bump is moving along and it is now at the phase 4 stage, which brings its own pressures.

The growth in the system is very welcome. It is also necessary, given the vital role apprentices play, largely in the construction sector, but also in delivering many other key Government priorities such as housing, retrofitting, infrastructure development, energy and in other areas such as telecoms, which are key to our national success.

It is important to acknowledge that there is an inherent complexity in managing a system that is demand-led with a finite funding envelope. Put simply, demand in a given quarter or year can rise or fall, and it can be difficult to accurately predict or model that and then to support and resource it.

The Government has a very strong and sustained commitment to apprenticeships. I wish to make it clear today that no apprenticeship course or class will be cancelled as a result of the current situation. Since the formation of my Department, investment in apprenticeship training has increased by 139% from €142 million in 2019 to €339 million in 2025. There has been more than a doubling of funding. This includes a record €77 million investment as part of budget 2025, the largest ever allocation to the apprenticeship system in the history of the State.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I welcome the statement by the Minister that no apprenticeship class will be cancelled. I assume that also means none will be paused. I would like to think there will not be any major cuts across the service in the further education area.

The Minister said the situation has just arisen. Could he explain how this was not foreseen at an earlier stage? I welcome the fact that he is addressing it. Could he give us a timeline for when this will be settled because the reason we have all heard this, both officially and unofficially, is people are very afraid due to the difficulties that have arisen. We must ensure that there is sustainable funding for further education, in particular apprenticeships, because we spend half the time in here talking about the necessity to build more houses. It would not do if we were not providing a sufficient number of apprenticeships. That is accepting the complexity of the issue, as outlined by the Minister.

Deputy David Cullinane

The Minister has acknowledged that a funding pressure has been identified so we know there is an issue. The question then is how it will be resolved. I welcome that the Minister said no class or apprenticeship will be either suspended or cancelled. I have been told by the Waterford-Wexford ETB that many of the phase 2 classes for July have not been called, which could affect up to 500 apprentices. It covers very important trades like carpentry and the other trades and skills we need, for example, to build houses. I welcome what the Minister said, in so far as it goes, but could he perhaps provide more clarity on the situation? He is saying this is not going to have an impact on classes being called, yet I have a note that states no apprenticeship class scheduled for July has been called in the Waterford-Wexford area. How does that square with what he said? Has there been some movement since contact was made with us? If that is the case, that would be fantastic. It would be a step forward. Perhaps the Minister could clarify that.

Deputy James Lawless

I am not impressed with the situation either. I would prefer if we were not in this situation. Sometimes in politics, we have to play the hands that we are dealt. Sometimes we would prefer they are different but they are what they are and we have to make the best of them. My job as Minister is to manage the situations that arise.

I have said no class will be cancelled. I did not say anything else. There is a reason for that. I am adamant that no class will be cancelled. I will not say anything beyond that, other than SOLAS is working with the ETBs on an ongoing basis to manage scheduling and how the classes are delivered and their timetables. That will correspond to the budgets they have available to them.

That is an ongoing process between SOLAS, an independent agency, and the ETBs. They have that ongoing engagement and will continue to work together. They are fully supported by officials from my Department to get to the bottom this issue in terms of unlocking the resource challenge and moving things forward. The Government, the Department and I am committed to the overall system and to reaching the targets. In the programme for Government, there is a target of having 12,500 apprentice registrations per annum by 2030 and ensuring the successful retention and progression of apprenticeships. That remains a priority for me and the Government. We want to address the funding pressures.

I might come back to the Deputy in due course with the roadmap. I am not in a position to provide it at the moment. However, I can reassure Deputies that this is a very live issue and that it is being actively worked on. I am intent that it will be resolved, but we are a little away from determining the mechanics and outworkings of that just yet. I ask the Deputies to give me a little time to work that through, and perhaps I will update them in due course.

Antisocial Behaviour

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue

I wish to highlight a matter of real and growing concern in the southern part of my constituency. There has been a recent surge in antisocial behaviour in the Northwood area of Santry, particularly around Gulliver's Retail Park. Families, residents and business owners feel increasingly unsafe due to targeted and aggressive incidents, including reports of cans and stones being thrown at passersby, including children, in public spaces but, more worryingly, racially motivated incidents and incidents of harassment.

This behaviour is not only totally unacceptable, it is deeply distressing for those who live or work in or visit the area. The atmosphere in Northwood is changing for the worst. This is an area in which people have lived peacefully for the past number of years. What we are witnessing is more than just nuisance behaviour; it is a pattern of intimidation that is shaking the sense of security in a community that was safe and that should be safe and welcoming for all. The area around Gulliver's Retail Park and the nearby residential zones seems to have become a hot spot for these incidents. I have many emails from constituents within the area in which they provided detailed reports. These are not just isolated events; they are evidence of a wider pattern that the residents say has been building in recent months.

In response to these incidents, I am calling for a more visible Garda presence and patrols in the area. My colleague Deputy Kelly provided me with updated Garda figures for this year. Thankfully, Ballymun received three additional gardaí. I am also calling for better public lighting in public walkways and car parks to deter illegal activity. There is a need for a collaborative effort involving gardaí, Fingal County Council and local stakeholders to address this issue and to re-establish the joint policing committees, which have been stood down for more than 12 months now, as a matter of urgency. Given that Northwood spans two separate local authority areas, will the Minister of State clarify the measures that are being taken to facilitate the appointment of the chairs and co-chairs of the new joint policing committees to address these issues effectively and ensure co-ordinated policing and community engagement in the area is taking place?

Let us be clear. Antisocial behaviour affects more than just the immediate victims, it also damages the wider community. It creates fear and poison. It undermines the trust in public spaces . If left unchecked, it escalates very quickly. That is why a co-ordinated and proactive approach between the community and gardaí is urgently required. We owe it to the residents of Northwood and Santry, especially the families of young children, to restore safety, dignity and peace of mind to their daily lives. Antisocial behaviour has no place in our communities and should not be tolerated. This needs to be addressed immediately.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Neale Richmond)

I sincerely thank Deputy O'Donoghue for raising this timely and important issue. At the outset, and before I get into the specifics, I condemn any incidents of racially motivated abuse. I know the Deputy shares that view, as does everyone in this House. It is important to say that sometimes because we can tend gloss over it. Such behaviour is a scourge that we must all stay united in our opposition to.

The Deputy rightly and specifically raised the issue of gardaí on the beat. Getting more gardaí on our streets is this Government's first priority in the area of justice. Increased recruitment and appropriate civilianisation, where possible, is ongoing in order to achieve this goal. The level of resourcing provided to An Garda Síochána is supporting this work. The latest recruitment campaign was successful in attracting 6,700 applications. Newly appointed gardaí will support existing members, such as the 775 Garda members assigned to the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, north division, an increase of 107 since 2015, who are supported by 72 Garda staff, which is up 28 over the same period.

I will address the issues specific to Northwood shortly, but the Deputy asked about community safety partnerships, which are key to addressing local concerns. More broadly, we recognise that we cannot police our way out of complex social problems. In that context, enhancing community safety requires a whole-of-society approach. That is why we are replacing joint policing committees with local community safety partnerships, LCSPs. These partnerships, which provided for in the new Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, will build on the good work of the joint policing committees. I was a member of one of those committees in my area. They will have broader membership, bringing together local councillors, gardaí, residents, communities - including minority and new communities - education and business representatives and statutory agencies such as the HSE, Tusla, and local authorities. Each LCSP will develop a tailored community safety plan for its area. Regulations to formally establish the LCSPs are being finalised. I am informed by the Minister that these regulations will be completed shortly.

The success of the pilot LCSPs demonstrated the value of this model. The Dublin north inner city plan included 50 actions across five priority areas and fostered strong collaboration between gardaí, youth services, addiction supports and local authorities. The pilot partnerships were subject to independent monitoring and evaluation with baseline, interim and final reports published. The learning from these pilots is being used to inform the national roll out of LCSPs. A total of 36 partnerships will be rolled out following the finalising of regulations in each local authority area. There will be one in each of the Dublin City Council administrative areas - five in total - and two in Fingal, namely one in north Fingal and another in west Fingal.

Each LCSP will be led by a voluntary chair and supported by a full-time co-ordinator and administrator. The chair will be elected from among and by the partnership membership. While administrative boundaries require that certain areas fall into neighbouring LCSPs, the overarching aim is to maintain a co-ordinated, place-based response to community safety needs. The National Office for Community Safety, based out of the Department of Justice, has prepared a comprehensive guidance document. Additionally, the National Office for Community Safety will establish networks for LCSP chairs, co-ordinators and members, giving opportunities for collaboration to share examples of best practice and request support for emergent issues and co-ordinate and communicate in related areas.

I will probably need to wait until the next slot to address the issues relating to Northwood more fully. However, I understand that gardaí have already increased high-visibility patrols in the Northwood area following a recent robbery in Gulliver's Retail Park. As a result of these patrols, the suspect was arrested by local gardaí and is currently before the courts. Community gardaí are continuing to act with the community in this area. I will go into more detail on matters relating to community gardaí in my next slot. I would do the matter a disservice if I were to just run through the first two paragraphs at this point.

Deputy Robert O'Donoghue

I thank the Minister of State. This issue can be looked at on a cross-party basis. There is no division here between the Opposition and the Government. I welcome the information to the effect that the LCSPs are to be set up shortly. When I was a councillor, I served on a joint policing committee. I found that very useful because you get to know all the stakeholders on the pitch, for want of a better way of putting it. If the Minister of State could expand on the Northwood issue, I would really appreciate it.

Deputy Neale Richmond

I really appreciate the opportunity to come back in. I cannot stress enough how important it is that any of these issues that are brought to the attention of the House are solved by all of us. None of us can claim responsibility. None of us can shoulder all the blame. If we work together, however, we can alleviate the impact of what is happening.

Community gardaí play such an important part in addressing and resolving these issues at local level. Members from the Ballymun community policing team have held Garda clinics specifically for the residents of Northwood, one of which was attended by the divisional crime prevention officer. The neighbouring policing team has also begun the process of establishing a business watch for Gulliver's Retail Park. Local gardaí have dealt with a number of young people regarding specific incidents of antisocial behaviour in the area. A number of individuals are either engaging with juvenile liaison officers or are before the courts and subject to strict bail conditions.

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, I assure the Deputy that local gardaí will continue to work collaboratively with everyone in the community. While enforcement is essential, we also recognise that many of the young people involved in antisocial behaviour have simply strayed onto the wrong path. That is why prevention and early intervention are essential to our approach. The youth diversion projects that are funded by the Department of Justice are vital in this work.

These community-based multi-agency initiatives aim to divert young people from criminal or antisocial behaviour at source. There are now 93 youth diversion projects nationwide, with two new projects, in east Clare and north Tipperary, to be operational by the end of this year, ensuring full national cover.

I want to highlight the availability of funding for community-based CCTV schemes. Since 2017, over €950,000 has been approved for 36 schemes, and a further €1 million is available this year. Applications can be made by local authorities. Community groups may request their local authority to apply for funding. Once operational, the LCSPs will be the appropriate forums to co-ordinate such initiatives. On the specific LCSP in the Deputy's area, I will ask the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to liaise directly with his office to provide the updated information.

Dáil Éireann debate - Thursday, 19 Jun 2025