Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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246. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of underage arrests made in County Galway pertaining to the sale or use of illegal drugs in each of the years 2014 to 2018 and to date in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43029/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached record levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. I am also pleased to have secured an overall increase of €122 million to increase An Garda Síochána's budget for 2020 to an unprecedented €1.882 billion for next year, which will also allow for the recruitment of up to 700 new Gardaí and additional Garda staff next year. We now have over 14,200 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 2,800 Garda staff. A programme of accelerated recruitment is ongoing with a view to reaching 15,000 Gardaí in an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 by 2021. The ongoing recruitment will provide the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí to deliver a visible, effective and responsive policing service nationwide.

The continued disruption of the supply of all illicit drugs remains a priority for An Garda Síochána and the other state agencies tasked with responsibilities in this regard.

The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau leads in tackling all forms of drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs in Ireland. Collaboration at an inter-agency and international level remain key in tackling this issue. An Garda Síochána also continues to work closely with communities to address any drug-related issues, including through high-visibility patrolling by uniformed personnel and through intelligence-led operations targeting known criminals.

Further and as the Deputy will appreciate, there is a need to address drug-related offending in a strategic multi-agency way. In addition to the work of An Garda Síochána in co-operation with international agencies, it is important to remember that other state agencies are tasked with important responsibilities in this regard. Government policy in relation to drug and alcohol misuse is set out in Ireland’s National Drug Strategy, ‘Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery’, a health led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025.

The Strategy represents a whole-of-Government response to the problem of drug and alcohol use in Ireland. It draws upon a range of Government policy frameworks in order to reduce the risk factors for substance misuse. It also commits to addressing the harms of drugs markets and reduce access to drugs for harmful use. Responsibility for overseeing the overall implementation of the strategy rests with the Department of Health. My own Department has responsibility as the lead agency or partner in a number of actions, including keeping drugs legislation under review as the joint lead agency with the Department of Health.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table shows the number of Youth Referrals for Simple Possession in County Galway for the dates requested by the Deputy.

The Garda authorities have further informed me that the number of underage persons arrested for Possession of Drugs for Sale or Supply was less than 10 per year for the years 2014 – to date in 2019 in County Galway. As the Deputy may be aware, An Garda Síochána Analysis Service does not typically report on details where there are less than 10 incidents in a given area.

I can also inform the Deputy that an expert Steering Group is currently developing a new Youth Justice Strategy, including a review of the Children Act. The Steering Group commenced its work in February and has had a series of meetings which will continue into next year.

The Group is tasked with advising and guiding the development of the new Strategy, including consideration of the full range of issues connected to children and young people at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system, from early intervention and preventative work, including family support, diversion from crime, through to court processes and facilities, supervision of offenders, detention and reintegration and support post release. The intention is that we will have a draft Strategy for publication for public consultation by the end of this year, and that the Strategy will be finalised in the first half of 2020.

Strengthening and expanding the role of the Garda Youth Diversion projects and other community-based initiatives, including those working with the Probation Service, and bringing the full range of relevant interventions together in a coherent and holistic response to youth crime and as a support to diverting young people from crime and anti-social behaviour is a key priority for the new Strategy. The Deputy will also be aware of the health diversion approach to drug possession recently approved by the Government. My Department is working closely with the Department of Health in the development of operational protocols in this regard.