Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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695. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will meet with the Ballymun Implementation Board; if a senior official from his Department will be appointed to the board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8186/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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In February 2024, my predecessor Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, announced the establishment of the Ballymun Implementation Board.

The Board is being hosted by Dublin City Council, and includes representatives from the following agencies/organisations: Dublin City Council, An Garda Síochána, Tusla, HSE, City of Dublin Education and Training Board, City of Dublin Youth Services, St Joseph’s Senior National School, Department of Education, Young Ballymun, Dublin North West Area Partnership and the Probation Service. In November 2024, two community representatives from the Ballymun Regional Youth Resource and Ballymun Local Drugs & Alcohol Task Force were appointed to the Board.

The Board is looking to tackle some of the deep-rooted issues which exist in the Ballymun area by bringing together the relevant social services providers and the Gardaí to work together with the community and local business leaders in a collaborative and effective manner, focusing on the matters of concern identified by the local community itself.

The Chair of the Ballymun Implementation Board, John Costello has written to my Department seeking a meeting and I look forward to meeting with the Board in the coming weeks.

To date, an official has not served as a representative on any of the implementation boards established in Dublin. Instead, the approach which has been followed is a sponsor group has been established. The Department is in the process of establishing a similar group for the Ballymun Implementation Board whereby officials from the Department of Justice will meet with Dublin City Council and the Chair of the Board every two months to discuss issues and areas of concern.