James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 878 and 879 together.

Every young person deserves the opportunity to improve their quality of life and our commitment to expanding Youth Justice services and increasing funding similarly reflects our commitment to these young people. This commitment is a central point of our Youth Justice Strategy, launched in 2021, which provides a developmental framework to address key challenges and emerging issues in the youth justice area.

A top priority is the expansion and deepening of the services offered to young people by the Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs), which are fully funded by the Department of Justice. YDPs are community based, multi-agency youth crime prevention initiatives which primarily seek to divert young people who have been, or are at risk of becoming, involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour. On average the YDPs engage with between 3,500 and 4,000 young people across the State in any one year. These projects provide an invaluable support to complement the work of An Garda Síochána in addressing youth crime and protect local communities.

In Budget 2024, the funding allocated to overall Youth Justice Services increased by 10% to €33 million. This will facilitate an increase in the availability of YDP services in the evenings and at the weekends when many young people need them the most, as well as an increase in supports for families, interventions for typically hard-to-reach young people and early interventions for 8-11 year olds who may be at increased risk of becoming engaged in criminal activity.

This increase in funding will also allow us to achieve our goal of full nationwide coverage for YDPs for the first time. This funding will be deployed with the assistance of the best available research and expert evidence to keep young people away from crime.

We know from international research that a number of factors place young adults in this age group at a higher risk of becoming involved in criminal behaviour. It is important to reach out to this age group and ensure they recognise they will not be abandoned and left to fend for themselves when they become young adults.

All of this work in the area of Youth Justice is central to this Government’s commitment to building stronger, safer communities. The Government’s commitment to helping the young people who need it has been reflected in our allocations of funding and resources to expand this network.

The attached document outlines the funding provided to youth services in the Finglas and Ballymun areas, the number of posts funded; and the total number of posts created.

Please note that due to the historical nature of this request and the transfer of functions from the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) operating as an executive office located in the then Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) to the Department of Justice Funds Administration Unit in 2019, as well as changes to the financial management, email and records management system since 2006, some figures may subject to change. Data for 2006 and 2007 is not available due to a change in the financial record system in 2008.

Breakdown of the funding provided to youth services in the Finglas and Ballymun 

The number of posts created in Finglas and Ballymun

Funding provided to youth services in the Finglas and Ballymun areas since 2006