Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1171.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the Greentown programme, detailing how many staff were assigned at each site; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35290/24]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Greentown programme was established by the Department of Justice in 2020 with an objective to incorporate the latest scientific thinking into an intervention design, which is specifically focused on improving the outcomes for children at risk of or actively engaged in criminal networks.

The Greentown Programme has been in place in two trial sites since 2021 and has now been extended for a further three years. Each trial site has an annual budget of approximately €500,000 and the intervention is managed by a qualified community based organisation with Department funding.

I can advise the Deputy that there are 5 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) staff at one site, and 5.5 WTE (including part time staff) at the other site.

The specified two goals for the programme are:

• To reduce the influence of criminal networks on children at risk of involvement
• To improve the likelihood of extrication and pro-social outcomes for children who are already involved in criminal networks.