Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 16: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will extend the linkage programme to all prisoners prior to their release from prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14137/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Linkage Programme is a National training and employment initiative designed to create a link between employers and ex-offenders. It was established in February, 2000, and is funded by my Department, under the National Development Plan, as a joint project between Business in the Community Ireland (BITC) and the Probation Service. In the current year the Linkage Programme is being funded by my Department in the amount of €1,520,000. A further €185,614 has been approved by the Dormant Accounts Fund for the Programme to be expended during the period July 2007 to October, 2008.

The Linkage Programme in partnership with both the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service makes a significant contribution towards preparing offenders for employment prior to and following release from prison. The ultimate objective of the Linkage Programme is to assist the ex-offender re-integrate into the working community by facilitating participants to make a range of informed choices from which a career path is agreed which is realistic, achievable and sustainable.

I can inform the Deputy that between February 2000 and December 2006 over 5,000 referrals were made to the Linkage Programme by Probation Officers which included 1,288 direct referrals from prisons and places of detention.

Furthermore, during 2006, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) secured Dormant Accounts Funding (DAF), under the economic and social disadvantage measure, for projects focused on the provision of employability supports for prisoners and ex-prisoners. A significant allocation from this funding measure has been utilised to engage Training and Employment Officers (TEOs), employed by the Linkage Programme, who are based on a full-time basis in the Mountjoy and Midlands' campuses for a 15 month pilot period. The effectiveness of this pilot will be independently evaluated during the course of this year. Consideration will then be given to whether the service, within the two campuses, will be funded on a long term basis and, indeed, whether the model of service delivery should be extended to other prisons throughout the country.

In addition to the foregoing, a network of 19 Training and Employment Officers employed by the Linkage Programme are based in Probation Service centres across the country. I can advise the Deputy that TEOs have always provided, an in-reach service to prisons in their respective areas of responsibility. Furthermore, some TEOs are designated to the prison-based Probation Service staff and one TEO is based 3 days per week in Wheatfield Prison. I am pleased to say that in the current year additional funding has been provided by my Department under the National Development Plan to increase the number of Training and Employment Officers by two, bringing the total to 21, to further enhance the important and valuable work being provided by the Linkage Programme.

The initiative will be kept under review and further expansion of the scheme will be considered having regard, inter alia, to the findings of the evaluation on the current pilot programme.