Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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429. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the breakdown of funding provided to Garda youth diversion projects across Dublin areas in each of the past five years and to date in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22508/24]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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 below table outlines the YDPs operating in the Dublin geographical area and the funding allocations provided, including Once Off Capital Grants, from 2019 up to date in 2024.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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430. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for a breakdown of the number of young people participating in Garda youth diversion projects across Dublin areas in each of the past five years and to date in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22509/24]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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.

As the Deputy may be aware, Part 4 of the Children Act 2001 (as amended) provides the statutory basis for the Garda Youth Diversion Programme (GYDP). 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 Programme. Each case is assessed individually and the Director of the GYDP, who is a Garda Superintendent, decides if the case is suitable for inclusion.

Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) are a fundamental support to the operation of the statutory Garda Diversion Programme. The current network of 99 YDPs is extensive, but we will continue to develop it further to ensure every child who needs it is reached and have selected an additional four projects to commence this year. Youth Diversion Projects are co-funded by the Irish Government and European Social Fund as part of the ESF+ Programme 2021-2027.

The Deputy may wish to note that I launched an evaluation of the YDPs last year, which demonstrates that the YDPs have proved very successful.

An Garda Síochána is a referring agent to Youth Diversion Projects as well as a partner supporting the ongoing diversion of young people from criminal and anti-social behaviour.

While Youth Diversion 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. Individual YDPs also undertake early intervention preventative work and support for families.

The below table outlines the number of participants for the YDPs operating in the Dublin geographical area over the last five years. The participant numbers for 2024 will not be available until mid-2025.