Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to emphasise and resource diversion measures to help at-risk persons make better choices and stop or avoid offending behaviour. [54482/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I must presume that the Deputy’s question is about the Diversion Programme which 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. It is supported by the Garda Youth Diversion Projects.

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 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 has responsibility for the Children Detention Schools in Oberstown. I will consult closely with my Ministerial colleague and with the Garda Commissioner in the continuing development of programmes to tackle youth crime.

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. I am committed to continuing the Diversion Programme this is reflected in the 2013 budget which remains similar to 2012. 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 on the National Education Welfare Board.

An Annual Report of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Diversion Programme is published each year which gives details of the resources deployed by the Commissioner in relation to the Programme. There are 123 Juvenile Liaison Officer (JLO) posts created comprising of 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.