Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 143: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the annual cost since 2004 to date in 2009 of the juvenile liaison programme; the breakdown of these costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12495/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, has already responded to your Parliamentary Question today (No. 142) in relation to the salary and associated costs of a Garda Juvenile Liaison Officer. In these circumstances, I assume that, in referring to the "juvenile liaison programme",the deputy is seeking the other costs associated with the Garda Diversion Programme, for example the cost of Garda Youth Diversion Projects.

The Garda Diversion Programme operates in accordance with Part 4 of the Children Act 2001, as amended, and under the general superintendence and control of the Garda Commissioner. The aim of the Diversion Programme is to deal with young people who offend, by way of administering a formal or informal caution, thus diverting the offender away from the courts and minimising the likelihood of further offending. The programme embraces, whenever possible, the principles of restorative justice and, at all times, it pays the highest regard to the needs of the victims. The programme has proven to be highly successful in diverting young persons away from crime by offering guidance and support to the young people and their families.

The Irish Youth Justice Service fund a restorative justice project for the Garda Diversion Programme. This is used to pay for restorative justice training for JLOs, the publication of the annual report of the committee to monitor the effectiveness of the diversion programme and ancillary costs associated with restorative justice events. Funding for this project for the three years 2006 -2008 was €76,750, €150,000 and €108,000 respectively. The 2009 allocation has been provisionally set at €150,000. However, there has been no drawn down on this year's allocation to date.

Garda Youth Diversion Projects, which are funded by the Irish Youth Justice Service, work separately to but in tandem with the Diversion Programme. They are a crime prevention initiative designed to engage with young people aged 12-17 years of age who have been identified as being at risk of involvement in criminal or anti-social behaviour. Each project is managed by a multi-agency and community based committee, which is responsible for the strategic direction of the project. Garda Youth Diversion Projects were first introduced in 1991 and there are currently 100 Garda Youth Diversion Projects operating in various locations throughout the country.

The projects undertake a series of programmes and activities which are aimed at changing behaviours, attitudes and lifestyles of project participants to bring about positive change and learning outcomes. The programmes offer opportunities for education, employment training, sport, and other activities while providing a structured environment to add stability and support to a young person's life. This work is primarily carried out by a project coordinator/youth worker, who operates under the guidance of a project/management committee. These projects are managed by committees comprising representatives for An Garda Síochána, the management company or youth organisation and representatives from the Probation Service and other local agencies, community groups, schools, etc. The Garda Office for Children and Youth Affairs coordinates the administration of these projects.

Funding for the Garda Youth Diversion Projects for each year since 2004 is broken down as follows:

The total amount of funding provisionally allocated to the GYDPs in 2009 amounts to €8,666,000. In addition to the funding outlined above funding to the amount of €1,046,697.09 was provided in 2008 to the Garda Youth Diversion Projects under the European Social Fund in order to improve the employability of the project participants. This ESF-supported programme within the Garda Youth Diversion Projects has been provisionally allocated funding of €3,850,000 in 2009.