Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 28 Jan 1999

Vol. 499 No. 2

Written Answers. - Educational Services for Prisoners.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

As a general rule the probation and welfare service and my Department do not provide educational services to prisoners subsequent to their release.

However, the probation and welfare service as part of its diversion programmes and alternatives to custody provides, in conjunction with the vocational education committees, a range of education opportunities.

The special workshop projects provided in association with the service all have an education programme. The service and my Department have negotiated hours with the Department of Education and Science and these are provided through the local vocational education committees. The schedule below sets out the position over recent school years to date. FÁS provides the normal allowances to the trainees in the special workshop projects.

The Deputy may wish to know that, my Department provides a full education service for offenders while in custody ranging from basic literacy and home economics classes up to Open University level. On occasion, financial assistance is provided by payment of educational fees to prisoners to allow them conclude their studies during the academic year of their release.

Schedule

	1997/98allocatedand used	1998/99hoursallocated
Deonach (Dublin County VEC)	860	2,000
Nth. Clondalkin Probation Project (Dublin County)	1,300	2,000
Treble R (Dublin City)	3,500	3,500
Youth Project, Dún Laoghaire	3,200	3,200
Candle Day Centre	800	800
Candle Workshop (Dublin City)	800	800
	1997/98allocatedand used	1998/99hoursallocated
Ballinasloe Workshop (Galway County)	3,400	3,400
Tuam Workshop (Galway County)	3,190	3,190
Athy Alternative Project (Kildare)	800	1,000
Dochas don Oige (Galway City)	1,520	2,205
Moyross Special Project* (Limerick City)	–	–
PACE (Dublin City)	2,000	2,000
Bridge (Intensive Probation Supervision Project, Dublin City)	600	600
Grattan House, I.P.S. and Cork Auto Project (Cork City)	1,060	1,060

*As this is a new project teaching hours have not yet been approved.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together.

The probation and welfare service of my Department has developed a range of probation residences, training workshops and resource centres throughout the country to support the work of the service in the community.

My Department in association with the probation and welfare service provide funding to specialised facilities. Those facilities are listed in the schedule. In 1998, £4.4 million was provided for this purpose.

The majority of the projects direct their attention to the 15-25 age group and are primarily focused on those offenders placed on supervision by the courts to the probation and welfare service.

The procedures and arrangements in place are as follows. Service personnel identify a need and endeavour to get co-operation from the local community through consultation. Then, a management committee is established with representation from the local community and State services, that is, gardaí, Probation and Welfare Service, vocational education committees, FÁS, professional and business community, who take responsibility for the establishment and management of the projects listed.

As the probation and welfare services is rep resented on the board of management of the majority of these voluntary bodies, requests for funding are presented in various formats to this Department through the probation and welfare service. Depending on the type of project and relevance to the criminal justice system, funding of up to 95 per cent may be provided for operational purposes. In addition, occasional capital grants are paid to meet the special requirements of the projects.

Weekly capitation payments are paid also to a variety of voluntary organisations who provide accommodation for offenders who have addiction problems and who are on supervision to the Probation and Welfare Service.

Long term offenders who are on temporary release or on supervision under the Criminal Justice Act, 1960, have pre-release programmes agreed and following their release may be facilitated in a training centre or in employment.

Organisations such as PACE and the Guild of St. Philip provide facilities for ex-prisoners, Priorswood House Hostel and Santry Workshop in the case of PACE. The Guild of St. Philip (St. Vincent de Paul) provide a range of services through its own facilities. The funding for all such projects in 1998 are set out also in the schedule.

Also, small contributions are made to local voluntary organisations, for example, the Samaritans, at the discretion of Prison governors.

Advances to Hostels and Workshops 1998 – (Provisional figures)

Name	Item	Total
		£
Athy Alternative Project, Co. Laois	Running Costs/Capital	69,530.54
Adventure Sports Project, Dublin	Running Costs	18,540.00
All Hallows Training Workshop, Dublin	Grant	10,000.00
Aiseiri, Tipperary	Grant	30,000.00
Anna Liffey Project, Dublin	Grant	36,050.00
Autocrime Diversion, Cork	Running Costs	114,276.00
Ballinasloe Training Workshop, Galway	Running Costs	52,660.00
Ballymun Youth Action, Dublin	Grant	38,110.00
Blakestown Community Centre, Dublin	Rent	120.00
Bridge, Dublin	Running Costs/Capital	152,236.43
Bruree House, Limerick	Grant	20,000.00
Candle Community Trust, Dublin	Running Costs/Capital	157,251.19
Coolemine Limited, Dublin	Capitation/Grant	343,839.93
Cork Probation Hostel, Cork	Running Costs/Rent	109,807.00
Cox's Demesne, Louth	Grant	24,720.00
Cuan Mhuire Coolarne, Galway	Capitation	34,211.28
Cuan Mhuire Athy, Kildare	Capitation	61,069.00
Dochas don Oige, Galway	Running Costs/Capital	73,098.85
Dúnlaoghaire Youth Project, Co. Dublin	Running Costs/Capital	122,149.00
Guild of St. Philip, Dublin	Grant	9,000.00
Harristown House, Roscommon	Grant/Capital	114,202.99
I.C.O.N., Dublin	Grant	880.00
INPRO Ltd., Cork	Running Costs/Grant-Drugs Fund	77,024.00
Kerry Resource & Counselling Service, Kerry	Capital Grant	22,500.00
Kerry Youth Service/Tralee Youth Centre, Kerry	Capital	55,800.00
Kildare Youth Service, Kildare	Rent	1,120.00
Kilkenny Employment for Youth, Kilkenny	Grant	18,000.00
Lionsvilla Hostel, Dublin	Running Costs/Capital	241,267.07
Matt Talbot Community Trust, Dublin	Grant	36,050.00
Matt Talbot Services, Cork	Grant	31,700.00
Marist Rehabilitation Centre Athlone, Westmeath	Capitation	10,375.00
Merchant's Quay Project, Dublin	Running Costs	126,072.00
Moyross Project, Limerick	Grant	40,000.00
North Clondalkin Probation Project, Dublin	Running Costs/Capital	192,488.21
P.A.C.E., Dublin	Running Costs/Capital/Security/Rent/Rates	352,250.48
Ruhama Project, Dublin	Running Costs/Capital	53,000.00
Sarsfield House Hostel, Dublin	Running Costs	339,598.00
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Dublin	Rent	8,732.00
Southill Outreach, Limerick	Running Costs	81,344.00
St. Catherine's Training Centre, Carlow	Grant	30,000.00
St. John's, Dublin	Capitation	24,642.00
St. Patrick's Welfare Association, Dublin	Grant	700.00
St. Vincent's Trust, Dublin	Running Costs	52,530.00
Treble R Industries, Dublin	Running Costs/Rent/Capital	113,118.02
Tuam Workshop, Galway	Running Costs	89,436.00
Usher's Island, Dublin	Grant	25,000.00
Waterford Probation Hostel, Waterford	Running Costs/Capital	170,474.60
West Tallaght Probation Project, Dublin	Running Costs/Capital	86,957.80
W.H.A.D., Dublin	Running Costs	61,896.00
Total		3,933,827.39