Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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528. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the total funding provided by his Department for a number of programmes (details supplied); and if he will provide, in tabular form, a breakdown of the funding drawn down for each programme by postcode; for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. [7394/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) are community-based, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives which seek to divert young people who have become involved in crime or anti-social behaviour, and to support wider preventative work in the community and with families at risk.

YDPs act as a vital support to the statutory Garda Youth Diversion Programme and have a mandate in relation to:

- engagement with more challenging children and young people whose needs may be too complex for the existing YDP services;

- family support;

- early intervention work with younger children (8-11 years); and

- work with schools to support retention of young people with challenging behaviour in the education system.

Under the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-27, 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 expansion of existing services and the foundation of new projects where necessary.

Additional funding has been secured to expand the YDP network of 106 Projects nationally, and last November the Minister of State James Browne invited expressions of interest in principle for the establishment of four new YDPs. This will meet the key objective of the Youth Justice Strategy to ensure that the YDP service is available to every child or young person who requires it across the State.

The Strategy commits to the broadening and deepening of services provided by YDPs and acknowledges the importance of Early Intervention and Family Support programmes for children at risk, as well as access to appropriate Education, Training and Youth Services.

The total budget allocation for the Youth Diversion Projects and other youth justice projects under Budget 2023 has increased to €30.24 million.

Details of the funding provided by my Department for the programmes specified by the Deputy are provided in tabular form below by location for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.