Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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915. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to resource age-appropriate bail programmes and effective bail supports. [12652/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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A contract was awarded by my Department to Extern, a leading social justice charity operating across Ireland to progress a Bail Supervision Scheme for young offenders in April 2016. I am advised that based on evidence elsewhere in this area, an intensive bail supervision scheme for young people should impact on trends for the remand of young people in custody by offering courts a new option ‘bail with supervision’ (as an alternative to a remand in custody to detention) following an assessment of suitability. This alternative option should also help a young person to moderate their chaotic circumstances and promote greater stability and pro-social behaviour during the period of bail.

This proposal is in line with actions outlined in the current Youth Justice Action Plan 2014-2018. It is envisaged that this scheme will ensure that detention as a last resort is possible and judges will have available to them information on how a young person is progressing on compliance with bail conditions laid down by the court. The scheme will provide support through the use of intensive therapeutic supports to assist the young person to desist from anti-social behaviour and support families during the period of a remand on bail in the community.

I have asked my Department to finalise the contract to operate the new scheme as soon as possible this year. The scheme will operate initially on a pilot basis in the Dublin area. It will be available at the discretion of the presiding Judge and will have a prescribed reporting system back to the courts through the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána and the Oberstown Children Detention Campus. The detailed procedures and responsibilities for each partner agency are currently being developed and this will also involve consultation with the Judiciary. An Inter-Agency Implementation Team chaired by the Irish Youth Justice Service will monitor the scheme.