Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the capital works, we have had significant carryover in this Vote and in the Votes for the Garda, the Prison Service and all the other agencies. There is an allowance for 10% carryover, so where that has been possible, that has been carried over and work is continuing where possible.

On the Hammond Lane question, I am hopeful that once we conclude our engagement with the Courts Service on the overall project, including the design, the scope and everything else, work and building could start towards the end of next year into the following year, that is, at the end of 2022 and the start of 2023. I accept that seems a long time away but there remains significant work to do in regard to going through the tender process. The hope is it will be completed and up and running by 2025. The build will take two or two and a half years, given its size and scale. While that may seem a long way away, we are talking about a significant project.

I take on board the Deputy's point about the Legal Services Regulatory Authority having received additional funding. This is a new public complaints and professional conduct regime. Last year alone, 1,800 files were opened, so a significant volume of work is happening. The authority has also been asked to complete a number of statutory reports, two of which are under section 34 of the Legal Services Regulation Act and which I have laid before the Houses. They deal, respectively, with the possibility of unification of the legal professions and the reform of the provision of legal profession training and education. I have also asked the authority to explore the conditions of apprenticeships and devilling undergone by aspiring lawyers. It is, therefore, undertaking a number of bodies of work, some of which has been directed by me and the Department.

At the same time, they have dealt with a significant number of files in the short space of time since commencing operations in 2019. I take on board the comments made and I will respond to that issue.

On the joint agency response project, JARP, this comes under the Garda Vote. Earlier, I mentioned a figure of €16 million in regard to youth justice. There are plans for that, which will be published in the next week or two, along with youth justice strategy, to expand this further. That will require additional funding. We will have to examine that in the upcoming budget, but it currently fits under the Garda budget in regard, in particular, to youth justice, youth intervention and youth diversion supports. As I said, taking into account the Dormant Accounts Fund funding, that budget is approximately €16 million, made up of €14.5 million and additional dormant accounts funding for this year. The overall budget will need to increase in light of the recommendations of the new youth justice strategy.