Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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437. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding anti-social behaviour in Dublin 5; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23141/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can advise the Deputy that I have brought the specific matter to which he refers to the attention of the Garda authorities.

I can also assure the Deputy that it is the policy of An Garda Síochána to deploy personnel to establish a highly visible and accessible service to communities to tackle crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour. If a person feels that a crime has been committed they should contact their local Garda station.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda approach to community policing includes a strong focus on quality of life issues and collaboration with local authorities to help address the causes of anti-social behaviour. As part of their role, local Community Gardaí also engage directly with residents, schools and relevant community groups to address issues of local concern.

Furthermore, tackling youth crime and anti-social behaviour continues to be a key priority for this Government. My Department has responsibility for the Community Programmes Unit of the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) which manages the Garda Youth Diversion Project (GYDP) network nationwide, which supports An Garda Síochána in addressing youth anti-social and offending behaviour.

I recently announced that additional funding through the Dormant Accounts will be made available to expand and enhance the GYDP network. The funding will enable the expansion of the GYDP service by approximately 18% nationwide. In this regard significant additional supports have been allocated to the Garda Dublin Metropolitan Region Northern Division including the establishment of 2 new GYDPs in the Dublin 5 area and the provision of an additional Youth Justice Workers to an existing project. Community Programmes, IYJS are currently working with the National Garda Youth Diversion Office and local Garda Management in structuring these new supports to include access to these services to young people in Dublin 5.