Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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209. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of projects supported by the Garda youth diversion programme in 2021; and the number of beneficiaries under the programme. [30133/21]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Part 4 of the Children Act 2001 (as amended) provides the statutory basis for the Garda Diversion Programme. The intention of the programme is to divert children and young people who have engaged in criminal or anti-social behaviour away from the criminal justice system and towards more positive life choices. Children who commit criminal offences are considered for admission to the Garda Diversion Programme, as provided in the Children Act 2001. Each such case is assessed and the Director of the Garda Diversion Programme (a Garda Superintendent) decides if the case is suitable or not for inclusion.

The operation of the programme includes informal and formal Garda warnings, delivered in the presence of parents or guardians, as well as provision for supervision by a Garda Juvenile Liaison Officer. The scope of the Diversion programme is illustrated by 2019 figures, which show that 18,567 children were referred for consideration under the programme.

Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) are a fundamental support to the operation of the statutory Garda Diversion Programme and provide a vital ingredient in enhancing community policing partnerships. There are currently 105 Projects nationwide. These projects are community based multi-agency crime prevention initiatives, which are funded directly by my Department. GYDPs seek to divert young people who have become involved, or are at risk of becoming involved, in crime/anti-social behaviour away from future involvement with the criminal justice system. They are primarily targeted at 12-17 year old young people in communities where a specific need for the service has been identified. On average, the Garda Youth Diversion Projects engage with between 3,500 and 4,000 young people across the state in any one year.

While the projects primarily receive referrals from An Garda Síochána, they may receive referrals from other sources including schools, parents or self-referrals, including in some cases working with young people who are not under Garda supervision, or have been deemed unsuitable for diversion. Individual GYDPs also undertake early intervention preventative work and support for families. Therefore, as projects include a mixture of young people referred from An Garda Síochána and other sources, data on GYDPs participants is not directly comparable with data on those considered for admission to the Garda Diversion Programme.

The following links to the Annual Reports of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Diversion programme for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 may be of assistance to the Deputy. The statistics provided in these reports contain information on referrals to the Diversion Programme, which corresponds to the numbers of crime incidents considered.

2017 - www.iyjs.ie/en/iyjs/pages/publications.

2018 - www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Annual_Report_of_the_Committee_Appointed_to_Monitor_the_Effectiveness_of_the_Diversion_Programme_2018.pdf/Files/Annual_Report_of_the_Committee_Appointed_to_Monitor_the_Effectiveness_of_the_Diversion_Programme_2018.pdf.

2019 - www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Annual_Report_of_the_Committee_Appointed_to_Monitor_the_Effectiveness_of_the_Diversion_Programme_2019.pdf/Files/Annual_Report_of_the_Committee_Appointed_to_Monitor_the_Effectiveness_of_the_Diversion_Programme_2019.pdf.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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210. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the funding for the Garda youth diversion programme in each of the years 2007 to 2021, in tabular form. [30134/21]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am very conscious of how the impact of crime affects the quality of life for local communities. Preventing children getting involved in criminality and diverting children away from it when they have already become involved is one of the priorities for me as Minister for State in the Department of Justice. Both the Programme for Government and the Justice Plan 2021 contain a number of commitments with regard to tackling crime.

The Garda Diversion Programme, strictly speaking, does not include the Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs). The Diversion Programme is the work that members of An Garda Síochána do to assess cases, give cautions and provide supervision in the community. These activities are all part of the Budgetary Vote for An Garda Síochána.

The Garda Diversion Programme is supported by a network of 105 Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) nationwide. GYDPs are community-based multi-agency crime prevention initiatives, which seek to divert young people from crime/anti-social behaviour and to support wider preventative work within the community and with families at risk. They are primarily targeted at 12-17 year old “at risk” youths in communities where a specific need has been identified. The work of the GYDPs will be strengthened over the coming years in line with the recently published Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027.

Garda Youth Diversion Projects are funded from both Exchequer and Dormant Accounts funding, with around half of the funding typically being recouped from the European Social Fund.

Details of the funding allocation provided for Garda youth diversion projects in 2007 is not available, however funding for GYPDs from 2008 to date in 2021 is laid out in the table below. These costs relate to salary payments, general overheads and other expenses.

Under the European Social Fund 2014-2020 Operating Programme, we have recouped €31.9m in funding to date in this cycle. A further claim of €14.1m is at the final verification stages under the Programme.