Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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234. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the new funding allocated to youth justice measures in Budget 2026; for a breakdown for where this funding will be directed, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55662/25]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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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 desist from offending behaviour.

A significant allocation of €7.3 million in additional core exchequer funding for Youth Justice measures was announced as part of Budget 2026.

This represents an increase of more than 20% on the €36 million allocated in Budget 2025 and will support the roll out of a comprehensive, nationwide network of Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs). Allocations to individual YDPs are still being considered in light of their 2026 annual plan submissions for funding.

The Youth Justice Strategy 2021 – 2027 commits to extending the YDPs network. YDPs are community-based, multi-agency youth crime prevention initiatives. They primarily seek to divert young people who have been, or are at risk of becoming, involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour away from formal engagement with the Criminal Justice System.

The programmes offered by these YDPs provide participants between the ages of 12 and 17 years with suitable activities to facilitate their personal development. They promote civic responsibility and encourage pro-social behaviour in their communities. In addition, the programmes aim to improve educational outcomes and long-term employability prospects.

These opportunities are intended to allow young people to reflect on and challenge their past behaviour. They help to enhance participant's capacity to regulate their emotions and resolve conflict. In addition, the programmes support the development of positive and appropriate relationships with peers.

The Strategy also commits to extend the remit of the YDP network to provide dedicated Family Support, Early Intervention, and Harder-to-Reach programmes throughout the State.

These interventions are designed to support specific groups. First, they target the immediate family members of participants. Second, they focus on children aged between 8 and 11 years who are at risk of coming to the attention of law enforcement once they reach the age of criminal responsibility. In addition, they address the needs of prolific young offenders who present to YDPs and youth-related services with complex needs.

Other initiatives funded as part of the Youth Justice budget allocation include:

• The Bail Supervision Scheme (BSS) which 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 Greentown Programme which aims to disrupt criminal networks in their recruitment of children into these networks but also offers an intensive programme to support children, young people and their families.
• The Research Evidence into Policy, Programmes and Practice (REPPP) programme in the University of Limerick who act as the research partners to the Department in implementation of the Youth Justice Strategy.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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235. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the funding allocated to restorative justice measures in Budget 2026; to outline the spend relative to the spending in Budget 2025; if there is funding for new measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55663/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I am committed to progressing and implementing policies aimed at increasing the use of community sanctions that reduce offending, divert people away from imprisonment, and provide effective rehabilitation. Restorative justice is a key component of this work.

In April 2025, I approved the publication of the Probation Service restorative justice plan, ‘Restoring Relationships: Repairing Harm and Empowering Voices through Restorative Justice’. This plan aims to promote awareness and support increased use of restorative justice across the system. The plan also details how the Probation Service is further driving the integration of restorative justice into all its services, while also expanding this provision nationally.

The Probation Service delivers restorative justice (RJ) directly, and also through several Community Based Organisation (CBO's). Currently the Probation Service funds five CBO's to provide dedicated restorative justice programmes across 18 counties.

These are:

• Restorative Justice Services - Dublin, Meath, Wicklow and Kildare

• Restorative Justice in the Community - Tipperary, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath, Carlow, Kilkenny

• Le Chéile - Limerick, Cork, Clare and Kerry

• Cornmarket Project – Wexford

• Tuam Community Training Centre - Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon.

Other Probation Service funded CBOs use restorative practice approaches in their work with clients to promote respectful relationships and address the harm caused by their offending.

In 2024, €20 million of funding was provided for the continued development of 50 community based organisations, €1 million of which supported the development of capacity in CBOs that facilitate restorative justice services.

In Budget 2025, the Probation Service had a total budget of over €60 million to fund an expansion of crime-diversion programmes including restorative justice programmes and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.

I have secured an 11% increase in funding for the Probation Service in Budget 2026. This will be used to increase the use of supervised community sanctions in the criminal courts and the development and expansion of several schemes including restorative justice services.

The Probation Service, through its national Restorative Justice and Victim Services Unit (RJVSU), supports the integration of Restorative Justice models into practice across the country. This includes victim empathy programmes, family/restorative conferences, reparation projects, and victim-offender dialogues. The RJVSU also provides training to Probation teams and supports CBOs in delivering restorative justice programmes.

I can confirm that the Probation Service is currently inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from community-based organisations interested in employing dedicated Restorative Justice project workers to deliver restorative justice services in the following regions:

• Donegal and Sligo area(s).

• Louth, Cavan and Monaghan area(s).

This will serve to further support the nationwide provision of restorative justice services.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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236. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the funding for the Bail Supervision Service in Budget 2026; the funding allocated to the service in 2025; if there is funding for new measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55664/25]

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 with 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.

A multi-systemic therapeutic team work with the young person 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 was allocated as a grant to Extern Ireland and used primarily for their own pay and service delivery costs. The funding allocation for BSS for 2026 is still under consideration.

It is intended for oversight of the Bail Supervision Scheme to transfer to the Probation Service in January 2026, and funding has also been provided to the Probation Service to provide the initial staffing for the scheme within its 2026 funding allocation.

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. In Budget 2025, an additional €3.2 million was provided for Youth Justice initiatives, bringing the total allocation to over €36 million.

A significant allocation of €7.3 million in additional core exchequer funding for Youth Justice measures was announced as part of Budget 2026.