John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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160. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the funding provided through his Department for the operation of youth diversion projects in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24786/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I am committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services.

The statutory Youth Diversion Programme is supported by a network of Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs). Youth Diversion Projects are community-based multi-agency crime prevention initiatives, which seek to divert young people who have become involved in crime or antisocial behaviour and to support wider preventative work within the community and with families at risk.

A top priority for this Government has been the expansion and deepening of the services offered to young people by Youth Diversion Projects, which are funded by my Department under the Youth Justice Strategy and run by community-based organisations. On average, the Projects engage with about 4,000 young people across the State in any one year.

Funding for the YDPs and other Youth Justice measures have increased substantially in recent years, doubling from €18 million in 2020 to a total allocation of just over €36 million in Budget 2025. This is supporting an increase in the availability of YDP services in the evenings and at the weekends when many young people need them most.

It will also facilitate an increase in supports for families, interventions for disadvantaged young people and early interventions for 8-11 year olds who may be at increased risk of becoming engaged in criminal activity.

Of the 93 YDPs available throughout the State, three currently operate in Co. Galway. A further two projects are due to be established by the end of this year, one in North Tipperary and the other in East Clare. This will deliver full national coverage of this important service.

The three Galway programmes are the CORRIB project in Ballybane operated by Foróige, the Junction project in Ballinasloe, and the Treo Nua project in Tuam, both operated by Youth Work Ireland Galway. In total, these projects will benefit from funding of approximately €1.3m in 2025, representing an increase of over €700,000 from 2022.