Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I very much welcome the legislation, which Members strongly support and wish to see implemented at the earliest opportunity. We are all very much aware of the ludicrous circumstances in which young people who are given custodial sentences by the District Court of three, six or nine months - it is very often the same offenders week after week - are released onto the streets a few days later. I was made aware of circumstances last week in which a young person sentenced to six months in Castlerea was asked the day after being sentenced if he could organise transport home. He stated he had no way of getting back to Ballinasloe and I understand he was put on a train to Athlone, from where a taxi took him to Ballinasloe, at an enormous cost to the State.

This Bill, if it achieves nothing else, will certainly save the State money. It is progressive. We want to divert offenders away from prison such that they will retain ties with family, friends and community through community service. This benefits the community. I very much welcome the fact that the Minister referred very positively in his speech to the fine work done during the bad flooding in Ballinasloe in 2009 by young offenders who were being rehabilitated at a local centre in the town.

I invite the Minister to attend, in the coming weeks, the opening of Canal House, a fine facility in Ballinasloe that is doing amazing work with young offenders. It has a very high success rate in ensuring young people do not reoffend. The project involves a partnership between the Probation Service, the Department of Justice and Equality and the VEC. Young people are being educated and, in many cases, given second-chance education. They are also trained in skills in which they have a particular interest and they are treated extremely well. Many of the young offenders come from seriously disadvantaged backgrounds. In very many cases, the education system has failed them badly. They just did not fit in at the local secondary school. They may have emerged from primary school with very poor literacy skills and certainly could not hack it in mainstream secondary schools. Centres such as Canal House and Youthreach facilities are certainly giving the young people concerned a second opportunity.

I commend the Minister on this legislation. As the Judiciary is encouraged to implement it and use community service orders much more frequently than has been the case, there will be an enormous benefit for the community. We must convince local communities that this legislation is the way to proceed.

I agree with previous speakers who said many young offenders who serve custodial sentences later turn out to be much more serious offenders. We could succeed if we issued community service orders to keep offenders in their communities and ensure they are involved in meaningful projects, such as the one in South County Dublin or the many fine community projects in every town and village. The supervision of the schemes will be a key factor, as will attendance by those subject to the community service orders.

The legislation presents a way forward and I commend the Minister on bringing it to fruition. It is encouraging that all Members of the Seanad support it. I commend the previous Minister on the work he did on framing it. All of us involved in communities realise there is good in every young person provided he is given a fair chance. All public representatives want to ensure young people who step out of line once or twice are given every opportunity and a chance to obtain an education and training. I hope we will have a better and safer society as a result. I thank the Minister for bringing the Bill to the House. I am more than happy to support it.