Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 586: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the recommendations of the expert group on the probation and welfare service that have been implemented since the publication of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report of January 2004; the recommendations that remain unimplemented, and the reasons therefor, including an indication as to whether the Minister accepts or rejects the recommendations in question. [19054/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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My predecessor, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, following a Government decision, set up an expert group to examine the probation and welfare service under the chairmanship of Mr. Brian McCarthy. This group produced its first report in November 1998. The final report of the group was published in May 1999 and made several recommendations.

Many of the recommendations of the expert group report have been implemented by my Department. Staffing levels have been raised. There has been substantial investment in a customised information technology system and an IT unit has been established. The new technology, when fully operational, will have the capacity to produce information about the utilisation and effectiveness of community sanctions, giving us information about crime in Ireland not previously available. A common State-funded public liability insurance scheme has been put in place to enable a greater number of community groups to have community service projects operated on their premises without the need to incur substantial insurance costs. These are some of the measures which have been implemented.

The major outstanding recommendation relates to the future organisation and structures of the service. I have set up a small working group involving departmental and probation and welfare officials to build on existing work including the expert group report and the value for money audit of the service. It will also identify the type of services that may be required in the future; their relative priority; the resource implications and different methods of providing the services; the research-evaluation available or required to determine the effectiveness of options. The group is expected to report before the end of this year.