Vol. 575 No. 3
101 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of juvenile liaison officers in the Garda at the latest date for which figures are available; his plans to extend the scheme in view of the proven success of it in dealing with juvenile offenders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28257/03]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities, which are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that as of 20 November 2003, there are 85 JLO gardaí and eight JLO sergeants working in the various divisions throughout the country. In addition, the national juvenile office has a staff of one superintendent, two inspectors and two sergeants.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda juvenile diversion programme was established on a statutory basis in May 2002 under the Children Act 2001. The Act introduced the concept of restorative justice and family conferencing into the criminal justice system and these provisions are currently being implemented by the Garda Síochána.
