Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of juvenile liaison officers per annum from 2010 to date in 2016 by Garda district in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38867/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda 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, through the network of Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLOs), is to deal with young people who offend by way of administering a formal or informal caution, thus diverting the young offender away from the Courts and minimising the likelihood of further offending. The Programme embraces, whenever possible, the principles of restorative justice and, at all times, pays the highest regard to the needs of victims. The Programme has proven to be highly successful in diverting children and young people away from crime by offering guidance and support to them and their families. This is evident from the continuing fall in the number of children and young people referred to the Programme in recent years.

For the Deputy's information I have set out in the following table the number of Gardaí who are assigned to JLO duties on a Divisional basis as provided by the Commissioner as of 31 December 2010 to 2015 and as of 31 October 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available.