Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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1579. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of women specific services funded by the Probation Service; the number of Probation Service-funded services and projects that work directly with women leaving prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19668/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Women who commit crime comprise a relatively small yet increasing group within the Criminal Justice System in Ireland.

I am informed that over 16% of all new referrals to the Probation Service are for women offenders, and we know that many women offenders have complex needs such as alcohol or drug problems, serious mental health difficulties, social disadvantage and dysfunctional backgrounds, which impact on offending.

The Probation Service is providing over €21m in funding this year to 61 community organisations to cover the cost of the provision of services and programmes by these organisations, in the community.

Of these, I am advised that the Probation Service provides funding to four organisations whose services are targeted directly at female offenders.

These are SAOL, based in Dublin 1, which is focused on improving the lives of women affected by addiction and poverty in the North Inner City; Tús Nua, based in Dublin 11, which caters for women aged between 18 and 65 who have accommodation and complex support needs; Coolmine (Ashleigh House), based in Dublin 15, which is the only mother and child residential treatment programme in Ireland; and the Donegal Women’s Service, based in Letterkenny, which provides a trauma- and gender-informed Mental Wellness Programme to female offenders.

Approximately 40% of the other funded organisations also provide programmes tailored specifically for female offenders, including Deonach/Tallaght Probation Project, Canal House in Ballinasloe, Céim Ar Céim in Limerick, and TREO in Waterford.

Furthermore, four organisations - Tús Nua, Coolmine, Churchfield Community Trust, and Cork Alliance - provide services directly to women leaving prison. Additionally, the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service fund the Outlook Service/Step-down facility for women leaving prison, who have accommodation needs require support in the community.

The Deputy may recall that in 2024, the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service also established a Supervised Temporary Release Pilot Programme in the Female Unit of Limerick Prison. Through this pilot programme a dedicated Probation Officer undertakes robust pre-release work with the women while they are in custody. They continue to work with the women when they are released back into the community during a specified period of time.

The pilot was established for an initial 2-year period, commencing on 24 June 2024. It focuses on women who have received sentences of 18 months or less and who live in Limerick or adjoining counties. It is proposed that action research will be conducted during the pilot to track outcomes and enable real-time adaptations and improvements while informing future roll-out across other prisons.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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1580. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether all services and projects funded by the Probation Service are subject to service level agreements (SLA) with the Probation Service; the frequency with which these SLAs are reviewed and updated; to set out the procedure for the assessment of gender-specific services in terms of meeting their objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19669/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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In 2025, the Probation Service is providing over €21m in funding from the Services to Offenders budget to community organisations to cover the cost of the provision of services and programmes by these organisations in the community.

These organisations, which work alongside the Probation Service, provide a diverse range of services, including training and education, offender management programmes, support to access accommodation, drug and alcohol treatment programmes, and access to employment opportunities. These services and programmes are also a very important step in the re-integration of an offender back into their local community.

At present, existing funded CBOs submit an annual application for the funding to the Probation Service.

I am advised that a Funding Agreement/SLA is issued annually to each funded organisation, which includes outputs, outcomes and targets, as well as reporting requirements in relation to same. These reporting requirements are consistent across mixed gender organisations and their single-gender equivalents.