Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 June 2017
155. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of children referred to the Garda youth diversion program by county in each of the years 2015 and 2016 and to date in 2017; the number of juvenile liaison officers by county for the same years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30379/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware the Monitoring Committee established under section 44 of the Children Act 2001 reports annually to the Garda Commissioner on the effectiveness of the Diversion Programme. This Annual Report provides comprehensive data in relation to the Diversion Programme, including the number of incidents referred to it and the number of individuals involved. The latest available Annual Report of the Monitoring Committee is in respect of 2015. According to this report, which is available on the websites of An Garda Síochána and the Irish Youth Justice Service, the number of children referred to the Diversion Programme in 2015 was 9,807.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of Juvenile Liaison Officers by county for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 (end April) is set out in the following table. As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.
Juvenile Liaison Officer Strength 2015-2017*
|
Division |
2015 |
2016 |
2017* |
|
D.M.R.S.C. |
5 |
5 |
4 |
|
D.M.R.N.C. |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
D.M.R.N. |
13 |
13 |
13 |
|
D.M.R.E. |
6 |
5 |
6 |
|
D.M.R.S. |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
D.M.R.W. |
9 |
11 |
11 |
|
Waterford |
4 |
3 |
4 |
|
Wexford |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Kilkenny/Carlow |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Tipperary |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Cork City |
7 |
7 |
5 |
|
Cork North |
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
Cork West |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Kerry |
4 |
4 |
8 |
|
Limerick |
6 |
4 |
4 |
|
Donegal |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Cavan/Monaghan |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
Sligo/Leitrim |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Louth |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Clare |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Mayo |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Galway |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Roscommon/Longford |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Westmeath |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Meath |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Kildare |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Laois/Offaly |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Wicklow |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Total |
114 |
107 |
112 |
*As of 30 April 2017
