Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 9 September 2024
1184. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Justice the total amount of funding provided by her Department to community safety innovations; and to provide a breakdown of the funding provided in the Dublin 9 and Dublin 11 areas since 2020. [35463/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department established the Community Safety Innovation Fund in 2021. The fund uses the money seized by An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau as the proceeds of crime to fund new, innovative community safety projects. The fund increased from €2 million in 2022 to €3 million last year and I was delighted to see it increase again to €3.75 million in Budget 2024. 22 successful projects received funding in 2022 and a further 30 projects received funding in 2023.
The closing date for applications this year was 26 July 2024. Applications for the 2024 fund are currently being considered by officials in my Department and I look forward to seeing the projects that will emerge from this new round of funding.
Under the CSIF 2023, applications were invited from existing community safety initiatives as well as groups co-funded with local authorities, NGOs and community organisations working on issues relevant to community safety and youth justice. Applications could also be submitted by individual organisations, or by a consortium involving two or more organisations where the lead partner is a community organisation, not-for-profit, social enterprise or similar with a remit relevant to community safety and/or youth justice.
There have been two successful projects funded in Dublin 9 and Dublin 11 to date. In 2022, the Ballymun Local Drugs Task Force received €120,000 for the ‘Base Bus’ project. It aims to redefine places of anti-social behaviour into more positive social environments by providing early intervention and preventative action in open drug use, street drinking, intimidation and encouraging positive interaction between older community members, young people and families. It involves the purchase and outfitting of a bus for a mobile access project which will enable enhanced outreach, presence and coverage at evenings and weekends as well as increased capability to engage with individuals and trust building activities.
Under CSIF 2022, Dublin City University (DCU)’s ‘Moving Well-Being Well’ (MWBW) project received €103,546. This programme aims to get children moving and involved in physical activity. MWBW focuses on increasing physical literacy in young children in order to give them the tools required to be active for life. The project runs interventions in schools and communities within the Local Community Safety Partnership Pilot areas of Dublin’s North Inner City, Longford and Waterford. The project is a collaboration between DCU’s School of Health and Human Performance, the GAA and the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics.
In addition, as the Deputy will be aware, I announced the Ballymun Implementation Board, with former Dublin GAA CEO John Costello as Chair, in February 2024.
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 Services.
The Board will look 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.
A number of initial meetings took place with the Chair and Dublin City Council in order to identify the appropriate nominees for the Board. The first meeting of the Board took place on 31 July. The next meeting is due to take place on 25 September.
The Board's agenda and programme of work, along with its engagement with existing reports and bodies in the area, will be determined over the course of its initial meetings.
