Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

How many gardaí are operating as juvenile liaison officers? Is the decision for new juvenile diversion schemes that of the Minister or the Garda Commissioner? Whereas I concur with the Minister on the value of these schemes, I am aware of areas seeking approval for such schemes but that have been rejected or have not been selected. Is it not a better use of resources than spending €100,000 per annum to incarcerate a young person in St. Patrick's Institution or elsewhere? Is it not an area that we might well put investment into in the hope of restricting prison to people who have committed crimes with violence? Juvenile offenders would be better off kept in the community doing beneficial work for it.

See this speech in context