Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that rehabilitation measures available to former prisoners are seriously inadequate; if he will take steps to improve the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34548/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department, through the Probation Service, provides funding to 63 voluntary bodies which provide a range of services to offenders in local communities, e.g. pre-industrial training and education, offender management programmes, residential accommodation, drug and alcohol abuse treatment / intervention / awareness programmes and sex offender programmes. These programmes are designed to provide an opportunity for offenders to address their offending behaviour, explore their career options and to take part in personal development modules. The aims of these programmes are to:

Prepare participants for work / training / education;

Encourage them to take full responsibility for their own development; and

Assist the offender in his/her integration into society.

The rehabilitation of offenders is an important element of the Criminal Justice System. The Probation Service, which is an integral part of my Department, through its work in the community and in the prisons, contributes in a significant way to the rehabilitation of offenders and I am pleased to advise the Deputy, that on foot of a Government Decision dated 18 April, 2007, approving a "Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Package", an additional 71 professional and administrative posts were approved for the Probation Service which will greatly assist in the provision of enhanced Probation services Nationwide.

Particular emphasis is also placed on the rehabilitation of young offenders, the Deputy will be aware of the changes in recent years aimed at bringing about improvements in the youth justice system with the establishment of the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) an executive office of my Department which, inter alia, is charged with improving the delivery of services for young offenders. In addition a dedicated Young Persons Probation Division (YPP) was recently established within the Probation Service which has responsibility to enhance and develop community based programmes and initiatives to assist in the rehabilitation of young offenders and to allow for the full implementation of the sections of the Children Act, 2001 relating to the Probation Service.

In 2008, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department will provide almost €20m for services to offenders which include the wide range of rehabilitative measures already referred to. In addition, in excess of €10m will be provided for juvenile offending initiatives. Overall, that represents 45.9% of the Probation Service budget allocation for 2008. I can assure the Deputy that every effort is being made and will continue to be made to provide adequate rehabilitative measures for the offender population.