Parliamentary Question: Probation and Welfare Service

5th February 2002

309. Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of funding under the national development plan allocated to the probation and welfare service in 2001; the purposes for which it was allocated; the amount left unspent and returned to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3174/02]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue): The total amount allocated for probation and welfare service projects under the national development plan in 2001 was €3,107,039. This included an amount of €1,426,678 for capital projects.

The programmes in respect of which the funding was allocated include residential treatment programmes for substance abusing offenders, the recruitment of additional training and employment officers for the linkage programme for the placement of offenders in employment and training, community based non - residential sex offender programmes, drug treatment for persons in custody and operation costs of new probation development centres.

A total of €2,155,600 of the allocation remained unspent at the end of the year. This included a sum of €1,067,699 under the capital heading due to difficulties in locating suitable sites for the proposed new probation development centres. A provision of €132,104 in respect of the current costs of operating the proposed centres remained unspent because the capital projects did not go ahead.

Two community based sex offender treatment projects were negotiated and agreed with local groups having cross agency involvement, one in the north-west and one in the south. In only one instance, however, were arrangements sufficiently far advanced to draw down funding before the end of the year. A further sum of €162,629 earmarked for these projects remained unspent as a result. The balance of the current allocation which remained unspent arose due to delays in recruiting staff for the linkage programme and for drug treatment programmes for persons in custody.