Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the way he proposes to address the lacuna created by his decision to withdraw funding to projects (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40317/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that my Department, through the Probation Service, provides funding to over 50 voluntary bodies to assist with the management of offenders in the community. These funded projects provide a range of services to offenders in local communities, including training and education, offender management programmes, residential accommodation and drug and alcohol abuse treatment programmes.

The allocation for funded projects in 2008 is €19.393 million which represents 36% of the overall Probation Service budget. I am a strong advocate of developing partnerships with local communities to add value to the core work of the Probation Service. The funding we have provided in recent years is a measure of that commitment. I want to see community projects continue to work with the Probation Service to deliver a focused and measurable set of outcomes to the client group of the Service.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department, in association with the Probation Service, commissioned a 'Review of Adult Probation Residential Facilities' in 2007. The review was commissioned in order to examine, inter alia, the management structure, overall governance and operation of four residential facilities and the role of the Probation Service. The terms of the review included recommendations for the future of the facilities. The report was completed at the end of July 2008 and provides the Probation Service and my Department with a very valuable 'blue print' of how the four facilities are currently operating. A copy of the final report was made available by the Probation Service to each of the four facilities reviewed and each Board of Management was asked to examine the findings and the required actions needed.

The Boards of Management of the two projects that are the subject of this Parliamentary Question communicated their decision to effect closure of their projects to the Probation Service in October. The Probation Service is now developing a detailed new vision for the two facilities in question. I can assure the Deputy that the current residents of the two centres will be facilitated in accessing appropriate alternative accommodation and treatment facilities. The Probation Service will also identify the need for accommodation places for its clients in the area in question, and will liaise with the appropriate statutory and non-statutory bodies with a view to providing the most suitable, quality service for this client group.