Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Garda Síochána recently indicated that drug seizures provisionally valued at in the region of €60 million were made by it during 2014. There have been many significant drugs seizures here and abroad, including the seizure off the south west coast of Ireland last September of cocaine which had a street value of €358 million and the seizure off the Spanish coast of cocaine valued at €210 million, which is a clear indication that the operations of these criminal gangs is being interrupted.

With regard to discouraging young people from involvement in criminal activity, this is a priority area. The Irish youth justice service and the Garda youth diversion projects nationwide do important work in this regard. Additional funding has been made available this year from the Dormant Accounts Fund to enable expansion of the network of diversion programmes countrywide, thereby ensuring the availability of additional youth workers to work with An Garda Síochána across communities in identifying young people at risk and ensuring they can be diverted from the life of crime, about which the Deputy has spoken.

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