Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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445. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost in 2021 if the budget for Garda youth division projects increased by 7.5%. [43105/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that preventing young people from becoming involved in criminality, and diverting children away from criminal activity when they have already become involved, are key priorities for me as Minister for Justice. This is reflected in the new Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, which contains a number of commitments in this regard.

I am informed that there are some 105 Garda Youth Diversion Projects nationwide at present. Funding for these projects has increased every year since 2015. In 2019, €15.3 million was provided and at least €15.6 million has been committed for 2020. The intention is to further develop this service so that it is available to every child in the State who could benefit from it, through an ongoing review to look at the expansion of existing services and the foundation of new projects.

Including Dormant Accounts Funding, the Youth Justice programmes funded by the Department have been allocated approximately €18 million for 2021. If there was to be an increase of 7.5%, the 2021 budget allocation for Youth Justice would be approximately €19.35 million.