Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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448. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide a breakdown of staffing costs for the bail supervision service, by job position; the breakdown of staffing levels by job position; the plans to increase this funding in the upcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28405/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Bail Supervision Scheme (BSS) offers courts an alternative option to remanding a young person to detention by providing them the possibility of granting bail with intensive supervision supports. The scheme both reduces the need for remand places and also provides an opportunity to focus on developing successful community resources designed to prevent young people from engaging in criminality.

Operated by Extern Ireland, a multi-systemic therapeutic team work with the young persons and their primary caregiver to facilitate pro-social change in the young person while ensuring they remain at home and engage with education, training or work. An evaluation of BSS published in 2019 found a 72% reduction in reoffending among participants.

The programme currently covers the greater Dublin area, Cork and Limerick.

Funding for the scheme is provided by my Department, with €2,120,000 allocated in the youth justice subhead for 2025. This funding is allocated as a grant to Extern Ireland and used primarily for their own pay and service delivery costs. From this allocation, the Department has agreed to pay at a day rate of €5,355 (calculated as €1,785 per location).

I am advised that current bail supervision scheme staff consists of one programme manager and one multi-systemic therapy (MST) consultant covering the three sites in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Further, each site has one MST supervisor, three MST therapists, one Janus Justice Worker and a 0.5 full-time equivalent administrator.

While I cannot pre-empt any budgetary decision, investment in youth justice services remains a key priority for this Government, and I am committed to ensuring children engaged in criminality, and those at risk of becoming involved in criminality, are supported to deist from offending behaviour.