Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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130. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the funding provided to the Irish youth justice service in 2014, 2015 and to date in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31711/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy may be aware that responsibility for the Irish Youth Justice Service is shared between my own Department and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Accordingly, two funding streams are involved, the details of which are set out in the table following.

Insofar as my own Department is concerned, the bulk of the funding is allocated to community based multi-agency crime prevention initiatives such as Garda Youth Diversion Projects and Young Person's Probation Projects which are primarily directed at diverting young people from criminal or anti-social behaviour. The funding allocated to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs covers the operating and staffing costs of the Oberstown Detention School Campus and includes capital funding for the development of the campus.

The ongoing investment by my Department in community based youth crime prevention projects is playing a significant part in the continuing fall in the number of children and young people involved in offending and anti-social behaviour in recent years.