Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied that sufficient resources are available for juvenile liaison officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16183/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that as of the 13 May 2005 there were 86 juvenile liaison officer, JLO, gardaí and eight, JLO sergeants working in the various divisions throughout the country. In addition to this the National Juvenile Office has a staff of one superintendent, two inspectors and two sergeants. The administration in the office is carried out by these two sergeants and four civilian staff.

The Children Act 2001, which came into law in May 2002, gave a statutory basis to the juvenile diversion programme which includes a restorative justice aspect. The programme has proven to be highly successful in diverting young people away from crime by offering guidance and support to juveniles and their families. In the more serious cases, juveniles are placed under the supervision of Garda juvenile liaison officers, who are specially trained members of the Garda Síochána responsible for administering the programme at the local level. I am informed by the Garda authorities that in the year 2003, the Garda National Juvenile Office received 19,915 referrals under the programme relating to 17,043 individual offenders. The number of juvenile referrals processed by the National Juvenile Office in 2004 was 20,607. Detailed information will be included in the Garda Síochána annual report for 2004. Early assessments indicated a very high level of satisfaction from those involved in the process.

Ongoing evaluation of restorative justice practice is being carried out by the Garda research unit. All Garda juvenile liaison officers have received training in restorative justice and over half have received training in mediation skills. It is expected that the ongoing development of restorative justice within the juvenile diversion programme will lead to a significant reduction in the incidence of recidivism.

In addition to the Garda juvenile diversion programme, there are in existence a total of 64 Garda youth diversion projects. Funding of €5.471 million has been allocated to these and other related projects in the current year. The Garda authorities and I remain strongly committed to the principle and practice of diversion in the criminal justice system, a commitment warranted by consistent findings of national and international criminological research. Although the Garda juvenile diversion programme and the Garda youth diversion projects are not appropriate for all juveniles or in all situations, they nevertheless provide an important intervention in the lives of those juveniles who have taken a wrong turn in the process of maturing into young adults. Moreover, research indicates that of all those formally diverted from prosecution, some 88% do not come to the attention of the Garda Síochána again by their 18th birthday.

The juvenile diversion programme already exists on a nationwide basis and is delivered throughout the country by specially trained gardaí. Resource implications are constantly under review and applications for additional resources are made on a case by case basis when and where necessary.

In regard to Garda resources generally, the House will be aware that the Government has approved my proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 members on a phased basis, in line with a commitment in An Agreed Programme for Governmen. This is a key commitment in the programme for Government, and its implementation will significantly strengthen the operational capacity of the force. The Commissioner will now draw up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources, and in this context the needs of the juvenile liaison scheme will be fully taken into account.