Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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41. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider funding a pilot scheme to address antisocial behaviour in hotspots in Cork city. [35951/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and a number of priority actions are contained in the Programme for Government and Justice Plan 2022 to reduce instances of such behaviour and help people feel safe in their local communities.

In line with the Programme for Government, Minister Browne has established an Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour to examine a broad range of issues with a focus on developing measures which will counteract the negative impact of such incidents on community morale and quality of life. Two subgroups have been established under the forum to consider the specific issues of knife crime and the misuse of scramblers and quadbikes. Other subgroups may be established to tackle additional specific issues as required.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that there are a range of fora in place in the Cork division for anti-social behaviour to be identified and responded to.

For instance, under the Community Policing Framework, An Garda Síochána is in regular contact with community representatives, councillors, residents associations and members of the public. This allows for the gathering and sharing of information around issues of anti-social behaviour. In turn, Community Policing Units target these areas in an effort to alleviate the problem. The Garda Analysis Service also assist in identifying areas of concern.

Members of the public can also highlight anti-social behaviour through Community Safety Forums which are held at least three times a year throughout Cork city. I am informed that any location highlighted as a concern for anti-social behaviour is noted at such meetings and added to a tasking sheet within the relevant Community Engagement Area and station for the implementation of increased patrols.

Liaison with external stakeholders is conducted on an on-going basis by Garda Community Engagement teams, including with Cork City Partnership, Hollyhill Youth Project, Cork City Council, as well as local sporting clubs. Community Policing members also liaise with Muintir Na Tíre and this is designed around safety for the elderly, particularly those living in areas where anti-social behaviour is reported.

The Joint Policing Committee is an additional forum where An Garda Síochána engages with external agencies to identify problem hotspots across the city. This will ultimately be expanded into a Local Community Safety Partnership when the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill is enacted.

More generally, the Department's community safety policy is published on the Gov.ie website and will be delivered through new Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs), currently being piloted in three locations: Dublin’s North Inner City, Longford and Waterford. The pilots will run for two years and a robust evaluation is ongoing during this process in order to ensure the proposed structures are fulfilling their objectives. This process will inform the national rollout of the LCSPs across local authority areas.

The development of the Community Safety Innovation Fund is a key commitment under Justice Plan 2022 which will have a significant impact on the development of community safety projects throughout the country. The Deputy may wish to note that my Department opened applications on 11 April for the new Community Safety Innovation Fund, which will see the proceeds of crime re-invested in local projects to improve community safety. The fund will have an initial outlay of €2m for this year and will be subject to a robust evaluation at the end of Year 1 to inform future decisions.

It is anticipated that the kind of projects which may be supported will include new activities, not already covered by existing funding streams, including projects to:

- tackle crime or reduce the fear of crime;

- support the creation of safe and resilient communities; and

- divert vulnerable individuals away from engagement in criminal behaviour.

The fund is open to bodies involved in community safety and will support them in addressing local needs and opportunities for innovation not provided for in other funds managed by Departments and agencies. The call for applications for the fund ran until 8 June 2022 and grants will range from €20,000 to €150,000.

I can confirm that my Department has received 120 applications from a diverse range of organisations seeking to access funding for innovative projects to improve community safety. The process of initial eligibility assessment and scoring of the applications is ongoing and will continue through the summer. I expect that grants will be made to the successful applicants in the autumn.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 also provides a comprehensive developmental framework to support children and young people subject to multiple disadvantage and guide them away from involvement in anti-social or criminal behaviours.

Critically, the strategy commits to broadening the Youth Diversion Project (YDP) service so that every child or young person who could benefit from this service may do so, primarily through the expansion of the geographical coverage of the existing network of 105 Youth Diversion Projects, but also through the establishment of a small number of new projects where a need is identified. The YDP service will continue to play a vital role in combatting anti-social behaviour and supporting communities.

Budget 2022 provides an additional €6.7 million in funding for Youth Justice services and Minister Browne announced on 22 June that over 50 YDPs will benefit from this additional funding. This funding goes a long way to making full YDP coverage in all parts of the country possible because it will allow for current YDPs to expand their boundaries. This includes over €129,000 allocated for a boundary extension in the Watercourse Road, Greenmount area of Cork North Inner City.

Finally, one of the two pilots of the Youth Joint Agency Response to Crime (Y-JARC) is currently taking place in Cork, operated out of the Mayfield and Gurranabraher Garda Districts. This pilot seeks relevant State agencies to engage with the young people identified as causing most harm in their locality in a joined-up manner, in order to provide the necessary support to assist them in ceasing their offending behaviour.