Dáil debates

Wednesday, 30 January 2019

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Garda Youth Diversion Projects

10:40 am

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree, of course, that the Garda youth diversion project is a successful and valuable scheme and I stated as much in the Chamber last week. I am aware from many excellent projects in my own constituency, including in Douglas and Togher, the latter of which won a national prize in the TidyTowns competition a year or two ago, that excellent work is taking place. Nevertheless, the scale of what happened here is very significant. As I set out, 3,500 children and young people did not get case progression. If my understanding of the process is correct, these are people who had accepted responsibility in order to have been referred but were then deemed unsuitable, yet it is a very large category.

I am interested in what the Minister of State said about the possibility of wider issues involving adult criminality. There has been speculation on that in the media and the Policing Authority has given an indication in that regard. I am concerned by that. The level of detail is unclear but there is obviously something there or the chair of the Policing Authority would not say it. However, there is no scheme such as youth diversion involved and there is no form of reference of a similar nature. As such, what is the nature of the issues that appear to exist? What indication can the Minister of State provide to the House on any wider issues of crime prevention or possible failures to progress adult prosecutions?

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