Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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151. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 189 of 1 May 2018, if he will direct officials in his Department who are engaged with the cross-agency group to meet with representatives of organisations (details supplied) in order that they may contribute their local expertise to finding a solution to the issue. [20508/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, officials in my Department intend to consult with local authorities in the context of the positive engagement fostered by local authorities with local communities, examples of which include community and youth-centred projects. The experiences of local authorities involved in these and other projects will be very informative to my Department in terms of assessing the contribution that such approaches can make to reducing the misuse of these vehicles.

I am particularly interested in the benefits to be gained from the experiences of initiatives such as those mentioned in the details supplied alongside the Deputy's question, which involve direct engagement between local authorities, An Garda Síochána and local communities. My officials will engage with such organisations, either through the relevant local authority or directly, in order to learn from their experiences and to utilise this knowledge in developing the approach to be taken in tackling this serious issue.