Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2020
590. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice the organisations in receipt of youth diversionary project funding; the funding each received in 2018, 2019 and to 1 November 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39835/20]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that preventing young people from becoming involved in criminality, and diverting children away from criminal activity when they have already become involved, are key priorities for me as Minister for Justice. This is reflected in the new Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, which contains a number of commitments in this regard.
I am informed that there are some 105 Garda Youth Diversion Projects nationwide at present. Funding for these projects has increased every year since 2015. In 2019, €15.3 million was provided and at least €15.6 million has been committed for 2020. The intention is to further develop this service so that it is available to every child in the State who could benefit from it, through an ongoing review to look at the expansion of existing services and the foundation of new projects.
I am further informed that the projects are being developed to provide family support to the parents of young people participating in the projects, and are undertaking early intervention and preventative work. The role of the projects in relation to harder-to-engage young people is being enhanced and extended as part of the evolving Youth Justice system.
My Department is supporting the ongoing development of practice in Garda Youth Diversion Projects through the Action Research Project led by the University of Limerick. The Action Research Project works directly with front-line Youth Justice Workers from local projects to develop interventions and best practice. Based on initial outcomes from the Action Research Project, and evaluations of a number of pilot projects, it is intended to develop proposals to expand the existing services. This would ensure national coverage and a stronger focus on difficult issues such as the hard-to-reach cohort.
These issues are addressed in the Youth Justice Strategy 2020-2026, which is due to be published in the coming weeks.
The specific information relating to funding provided for the years in question, as requested by the Deputy, is outlined in the table attached to this response.
