Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to increase funding for and expand youth diversion programmes in County Meath and more generally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23598/25]

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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On behalf of my colleague Deputy Darren O'Rourke, I wish to ask about youth diversion programmes which offer huge benefits. They are aimed at preventing young people from becoming involved in the criminal justice system and at promoting positive development. These programmes can lead to reduced recidivism and can help young people to make a positive contribution to society. What plans does the Minister have to increase funding and expand youth diversion programmes in County Meath?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services. Our commitment is clearly outlined by our youth justice strategy. A top priority of the strategy is the expansion and deepening of the services offered to young people by youth diversion projects. These projects are community-based, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives which seek to divert young people who have become involved in crime or antisocial behaviour and to support wider preventative work within the community and with families at risk. They are funded by our Department under the youth justice strategy and run by community-based organisations. On average, the projects engage with about 4,000 young people across the State in any one year.

Funding for youth diversion projects and other youth justice measures has increased substantially in recent years, doubling from €18 million in 2020 to a total allocation of just over €36 million in budget 2025.

This is supporting an increase in the availability of youth diversion project services in the evenings and at the weekends when many young people need these services. It will facilitate an increase in supports for families, interventions for disadvantaged young people and early interventions for eight- to 11-year-olds who may be at increased risk of becoming engaged in criminal activity.

There are 93 YDPs available throughout the State and a further two have been established and are due to be up and running in north Tipperary and east Clare later this year.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. The question related to Meath, so I wanted to focus on youth diversion in the Ashbourne area. The area has seen a significant increase in population and I welcome the recent funds that were allocated from the community safety fund for Ashbourne. This is money that was seized by CAB and put back into communities to help them build resilience to crime. This is something my party campaigned for for a long time. The service in Ashbourne is helping approximately 30 young people and is in the process of moving into a new building that will then run a full youth service in Ashbourne. From speaking to my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, I know this is something that is very positive and welcomed by the community. Has the Minister got an update on the programme in Ashbourne? Does he know when the new youth facility will open? Will the Government look at a multi-annual funding model for these programmes so that they can strategically plan for the future?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I mentioned there were two new projects being stood up in east Clare and north Tipperary. That confirms we have full national coverage for youth diversion projects. Of the 93 projects, three operate in County Meath. Of the three Meath programmes, the ones in Navan and Duleek in south-east Meath are operated by Foróige and the SMART Project in Trim is operated by the Crann Support Group. In total, these projects will benefit from funding of approximately €1.4 million in 2025. This represents an increase of over €800,000 from the year 2022.

I have a table here where the Garda has outlined to us the number of annual referrals made to its youth diversion programme in the Meath-Westmeath Garda division for the past five years. I will furnish the Deputy with those in due course.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I want to touch on the community safety fund again. This is money from organised crime that was seized by CAB and is meant to be invested in the communities most impacted by crime. These communities are in need of resources to strengthen their resilience against criminal activity. It is no coincidence that the majority of money seized by CAB originates in areas of high disadvantage. It is crucial that these areas get the support they need.

I have met several front-line services in my role as party spokesperson on youth justice and community safety and they have concerns about the criteria. Yesterday, for example, Deputy Carthy and I met the Inner City Organisations Network, ICON. It received community safety funding to conduct research into how organised criminals were trafficking young people into criminality. It applied for the second part of this funding to expand the research but was denied. Will there be a review into the community safety fund to ensure it is fit for purpose and agile enough to meet the challenges of emerging trends in the youth just area?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The community safety fund is currently open for applications and is funded by the proceeds of crime seized by CAB. As the Deputy correctly said, the idea is to make available those proceeds to communities that have been impacted by crime.

I will revert to the Deputy on his specific query, as I am not in a position to give him an answer about it now.