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Departmental Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022

Tuesday, 29 March 2022

Questions (109, 134, 569)

Alan Dillon

Question:

109. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Justice the status of the Community Safety Innovation Fund; the way that communities can access funding under the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16239/22]

View answer

Colm Burke

Question:

134. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice when she will launch the community safety innovation fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16241/22]

View answer

Neale Richmond

Question:

569. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the status of the community safety and innovation fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11509/22]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 134 and 569 together.

As the Deputies will be aware, Budget 2022 provides for the establishment of the new Community Safety Innovation Fund, which will enable local communities to seek funding for innovative projects which will improve community safety in their areas.

Community Safety is about people being safe, and feeling safe, within their communities. This goes beyond traditional, high visibility policing. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report recognised that preventing crime and harm and making our communities safer does not rest with An Garda Síochána and my Department alone, but requires a whole-of-government approach.

The new fund will reflect the success of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and other agencies by using money seized from the proceeds of crime to support investment in community safety projects. The fund, which is expected to grow in the coming years, will have an initial outlay of €2m.

The fund will be open to bodies involved in community safety and will support them in addressing local needs and opportunities for innovation not provided for in other funds managed by Departments and agencies.

Such a fund will ensure that the best proposals to improve community safety will get the funding they need and will encourage the development of innovative ways in which to improve community safety from those people who understand local community safety needs best. Additionally, it will allow best practice initiatives on community safety to be shared as new proposals get developed.

Justice Plan 2022 commits to opening a call for funding proposals. This call will issue shortly seeking applications for community safety projects and similar initiatives from bodies involved in community safety, such as the new Local Community Safety Partnerships – pilots of which are in place in North Inner City Dublin, Waterford and Longford – and the Drogheda Implementation Board, as well as similar entities nationwide.

Applications will be assessed against stated criteria outlined in the call for proposals to ensure funding is allocated to encourage the development of innovative ways in which to improve community safety from those people who understand local community safety needs best.

These criteria for allocating funding are now finalised, with the fund due to be launched in the coming weeks.

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