Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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245. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the scoping exercise for Drogheda, County Louth announced on 21 August 2020; the date of commencement and other relevant details on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22882/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, on Friday 21 August 2020, I appointed former Director of the Probation Service, Vivian Geiran, to carry out a scoping exercise to assess the impact that criminal activity in Drogheda is having on the community and make recommendations for action going forward.

I am delighted to have appointed Mr Geiran to carry out this scoping exercise which will make recommendations on what action we need to take in Drogheda in light of the impact of criminal activity there. The scoping exercise will gather and assess information relating to the ongoing challenges and needs experienced by communities in Drogheda, and identify opportunities to connect, support and strengthen services, including those for young people, in the area.

Mr Geiran will look at the areas of community safety, policing, the impact of substance abuse, and drug-debt intimidation, but also at community development needs, the existing service landscape, including facilities for families and children’s services, the physical environment, and education and employment opportunities.

I met with Mr Geiran last week to discuss his work and to assure him of my absolute support and commitment to this project. Mr Geiran has now commenced work which will take between six and ten weeks to complete, during which time Mr Geiran will be gathering information and assessing the scale and nature of the problem there in order to map the services available and identify any gaps.

Mr Geiran will engage with residents, service providers including An Garda Síochána, businesses and other members of the community and draw on their local knowledge and understanding of the problems to identify key opportunities for action.

The issues in Drogheda have on occasion spilled over into neighbouring areas and where relevant to the scoping exercise, they will be taken into account.

I can assure you that this scoping exercise will be the foundation for a comprehensive response to the issues in Drogheda, and I will await its results with interest.