Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
39. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in setting up a special expert forum on antisocial behaviour to consider the effectiveness of existing legislation and propose new ways forward including new powers for An Garda Síochána and additional interventions to support parenting of offenders as outlined in the programme for Government. [42329/20]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Programme for Government contains a number of commitments to build stronger, safer communities. Within this area a number of actions have been identified and one of those is the establishment of an expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour.
The first meeting of the Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour was chaired by the Minister of State with responsibility for Law Reform, James Browne TD, on 27 October. This was an initial meeting and more detailed terms of reference and a programme of work for the forum will be decided shortly.
There are potential areas of overlap with the Youth Justice Strategy, which is at an advanced stage
of preparation, and this will be taken into account in deciding the particular areas of focus for the forum. The Youth Justice Strategy is another action arising from the Programme for Government commitment and I hope to bring the Strategy to Government and publish it shortly.
These actions recognise that policing is not solely the responsibility of the Gardaí and that a holistic approach from the whole of Government, with supportive actions taken by the various agencies and stakeholders in this area, is required to adequately address the concerns of residents in our communities that are adversely affected by anti-social behaviour.
