Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 57: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform his views on the reported increase in juvenile crime, with the number of juveniles charged with criminal offences in the Children's Court increasing by 90% between 2004 and 2008; the steps he will take to combat the increase in juvenile crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35373/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question 16 on the Thursday, 13th May, 2010. The position remains essentially as stated. However, I would like to add that in August I published the 2009 Annual Report of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Garda Diversion Programme. This report showed a reduction of 13% in the number of incidents referred to the programme and the 14% reduction in the number of children referred, compared to 2008. The number of children deemed unsuitable for inclusion in the Diversion Programme provides a reliable indicator of the number of children considered for prosecution before the courts. The Diversion Programme Reports for 2004 and 2009 show that 2,718 children were deemed unsuitable for diversion in 2004 compared to 2,966 in 2009. This is increase of 248 children, which is equivalent to a 9.1% increase over 5 years.