Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 423: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the resource challenges he foresees relating to the youth diversion scheme; if he has had discussions with other Departments regarding same; the outcome of these discussions; the Departments that have a role to play in delivering this scheme; if there is a formal relationship between him and other Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26012/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I must presume that the Deputy's question is about diversion as it relates to youth crime. The 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 juveniles 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 it pays regard to the needs of the victims of youth offending. The programme has shown to be successful in diverting young offenders away from crime by offering guidance and support to the young people and their families.

In September I published the 2010 Annual Report of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Diversion Programme. This report gives details of the resources deployed by the Commissioner in relation to the programme. There were 7 new Juvenile Liaison Officer (JLO) posts created in 2010 to bring the total number of JLO posts to 123, comprising 115 Gardaí and 8 JLO Sergeants. It is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner to decide on the prioritisation and allocation of resources within the force.

The work of the Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers under the Diversion Programme is supported by the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) through the funding and oversight of 100 Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) across the country. I wish to inform the Deputy that I will continue to maintain responsibility for the diversion and community aspects of the work of IYJS, while my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs will take responsibility for the Children Detention Schools in Oberstown. I will be consulting closely with my Ministerial colleague and with the Garda Commissioner in the continuing development of programmes to tackle youth crime.

Other Departments do not have a direct role in the delivery of the Diversion Programme, but they can support it indirectly by the provision of services to children in the groups most at risk. The focus of my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, is on harmonising policy issues that affect children in areas such as early childhood care and education, youth justice, child welfare and protection, children and young people's participation, research on children and young people, youth work and cross-cutting initiatives for children. An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service and the Irish Youth Justice Service contribute to this work by membership, where appropriate, of various structures under the umbrella of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs including Children Services Committees and the National Children's Strategy Implementation Group. I also have 2 nominated representatives on the National Children's Advisory Council and a representative of the National Education Welfare Board.