Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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121. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of places for young persons in the Garda youth diversion projects in Dublin by area; if there has been a decrease in gardaí referring young persons to these projects; if so, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27130/19]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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There are currently 37 Garda Youth Diversion Projects in Dublin. Projects do not have a defined number of places and the number of young people participating in a project at any one time will depend on a number of factors, primarily on the number of referrals and the individual assessment of potential participants in terms of risk. If a project identifies that they do not have adequate resources to provide the service to their community, additional resources may be provided in support, such as additional funding for staff.

The Garda Youth Diversion Projects receive referrals from a number of sources, but primarily from the Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers. The decision to refer an individual young person to a local Garda Youth Diversion Project is an operational matter for the Garda authorities and neither I as Minister nor my Department have any involvement.

The Table below sets out the numbers of young people who engaged with the Garda Youth Diversion Projects in Dublin in 2018 per Garda District. I have asked the Garda authorities if there has been a reduction in JLO referrals and the underlying reasons for any change in trends and will revert to the Deputy directly as soon as their reply is to hand.

TABLE