Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
376. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the sum spent on youth diversion programmes in Dublin from 2019 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31773/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra377. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the level of participation in youth diversion programmes in Dublin from 2019 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31774/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 377 together.
Since the enactment of the Children Act 2001, Ireland’s approach has been to divert children from the criminal justice system with detention of children considered only as a last resort. This policy, which has been pursued by successive Governments, has been extremely successful.
While there has been an approximate 25% increase in the population of 12- to 17-year-olds over the past ten years, the number or children coming to the attention of the Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau has remained steady, pointing to an actual reduction in youth offending. Between 2012 and 2022, there has been a drop in total criminal incidents involving children of 35% and a reduction of 31% in the number of children in detention over the past ten years. The budget allocation for Youth Justice measures has increased by 144% from 2020 to 2026 with a significant allocation of €7.3 million in additional core exchequer funding for Youth Justice measures announced as part of Budget 2026.
There are currently 94 Youth Diversion Projects across the country that are funded by my Department. With these funds, these Projects employ dedicated Youth Justice workers who respond daily to the needs of young people across the country. Every young person in Ireland now has access to a youth diversion service.
The Department also funds specialised Youth Justice Workers and Programmes in Youth Diversion Projects catering to Early Intervention, Family Support and Harder-to-Reach, serious and prolific young offenders.
There are currently 30 Youth Diversion Projects in the Dublin area funded by my Department, with a total of over €15.8m allocated to these projects in 2026. With these funds, these Projects employ more than 200 dedicated Youth Justice Workers who respond daily to the needs of young people in Dublin.
The below table provides the amount of funding allocated to Youth Diversion Projects in Dublin from 2019 - 2026.
|
Dublin YDP Funding |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
|
Total |
€5,192,311 |
€5,764,707 |
€6,800,480 |
€10,357,469 |
€12,689,230 |
€13,658,555 |
€15,266,422 |
€15,822,371 |
The Department, in collaboration with the Probation Service, also operates a number of initiatives distinctly designed to address serious and prolific youth offending for those who may be deemed unsuitable for diversion, these are: the Greentown Programme, the Bail Supervision Scheme and targeted interventions for children who are harder to reach in terms of addressing prolific and serious offending.
Please be advised the attached spreadsheet provides the number of young people engaged with Youth Diversion Projects in Dublin from 2019 - 2025. Please note, participant numbers are submitted by projects each year and these numbers are subject to change.
