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Minister McEntee launches first progress report on plan to improve wellbeing and safety in Drogheda

  • Significant support provided to community services including three local schools, youth diversion projects, addiction services and a community centre
  • Government committed to building stronger, safer communities and strengthening community wellbeing in Drogheda
  • Departments and agencies continue to work collaboratively with the community to address local concerns
  • Minister also launches Community Safety website at https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/16eb8-community-safety/

The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has today published the first twice yearly progress report on the Government’s plan to improve community wellbeing in Drogheda and its surrounding areas Drogheda Implementation Plan Progress Report.

The update highlights the progress made on specific actions within the Drogheda Report Implementation Plan up to the end of June 2022.

 

The report, which Minister McEntee published today, details progress against each of the actions in the Implementation Plan, showing positive progress made against actions around addressing crime, drug use, youth and community development and educational supports. 

 

Several recommendations outlined in the Drogheda Scoping Report have been progressed, including:

 

  • The provision of €230,000 across 2021 and 2022 to the community-based Red Door Project for addiction services
  • The allocation of additional teachers to three primary schools in Drogheda by the Department of Education
  • Additional funding across 2021 and 2022 to the CABLE and Boyne Garda Youth Diversion Projects for delivery of vital services to young people at risk of offending. In 2021, the Department of Justice provided €530,000 in funding to the two projects including additional funding of €25,000 for Boyne and €66,000 for CABLE for the purchase of mini-buses.  In June 2022, Boyne Youth Diversion Project was also allocated almost €75,000 under the Youth Justice Strategy, following CABLE receiving funding in a previous round.
  • €15,000 Support for a preliminary site plan for the Moneymore Community Hub facility through the Dormant Accounts Fund and;
  • €48,000 in funding from the Department of Justice towards the extension of kitchen and dining facilities for the Moneymore Childcare Centre, in order to continue providing meals to the 68 children from the local area who avail of their service.

 

 

Speaking on the launch of the progress report today, Minister McEntee said:

 

“The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and improving the safety and wellbeing of the community in Drogheda.

 

“Improving community safety is not just a matter of policing crime – it is about ensuring that the range of State and community services that contribute to people’s wellbeing are working together in a coherent manner.

 

“The cross-Government responsibility to deliver on the actions contained in the Drogheda report are clear – and I am greatly encouraged by the progress we have made so far.

 

“Already, a number of urgent funding and resourcing needs have been met – we have provided more funding to the Red Door Project, which is a vital service for those affected by drug and alcohol use in Drogheda, which will help with, counselling, family support and additional harm reduction services in Drogheda.

 

“Additional teachers have been provided to three schools identified in the Drogheda Scoping Report for a fixed term of 5 years, which will provide the schools with stability in resources to develop their capacity to respond to the needs of students and provide for better outcomes in the medium and long-term.”

 

A further action included in the Implementation Plan was to explore visible and practical ways of re-investing the proceeds of crime into community resources, which has been achieved through the establishment of the Community Safety Innovation Fund.

 

The Community Safety Innovation Fund was established in April 2021 to reinvest proceeds of crime, as seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau, back into communities

€2 million was allocated to it under Budget 2022, with 22 community projects to receive grants between €5,000 - €150,000 under this allocation.

And this will increase to €3 million next year under Budget 2023.

Allocations to Drogheda-based projects through the new CSIF, announced on 17 October, include:

 

  • A further €98,000 to The Red Door Project to fund employment of a Prison Links Worker and;
  • €150,000 to Foróige for their New Choices Project, which will provide practical life-skills to early school leavers.

In addition, implementation of the plan is continuing and recent announcements, which fall outside the end of June 2022 timeline for this progress report, include:

 

  • A new craft skills training hub will open early next year in Drogheda. As announced by Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris, it will provide training to approximately 336 apprentices each year and will also deliver 20 permanent jobs.
  • Extended capacity at Drogheda Institute of Further Education through the development of a new flexible multi-purpose built tertiary education facility. The development in Drogheda will provide teaching spaces and other facilities, including community accessible spaces. The new facility will enable greater opportunities for more integrated planning and delivery locally and regionally.
  • Serving the Navan areas and beyond by investing in Louth Meath ETB’s offices and site at Abbey Road in Navan - consolidating facilities and giving Youthreach a permanent, fit for purpose centre

 

 

Minister McEntee added:

 

“I believe that the supports provided across areas such as youth services, health, further education and community development will have a meaningful impact on the quality of life for people in the town.

 

“The collective, multi-agency approach to community safety adopted in Drogheda is at the heart of the great work that is happening there. We must continue that momentum as we focus on the road ahead and our goal of building a better future for all in Drogheda.”

 

Last week, the Minister also launched a new community safety website, https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/16eb8-community-safety/

 

 

Speaking today the Minister said:

 

“Gov.ie/communitysafety is a practical resource which explains what community safety is and how this Government, Local Communities including residents, youth, new communities, business and education sector representatives, relevant public services including the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána, the local authorities and public representatives are working together to achieve it.

 

It features information on Local Community Safety Partnerships, other related safety initiatives such as the Community Safety Innovation Fund and crucially, explains how you can get involved. I would urge people to go to gov.ie/communitysafety to learn more about how we can work together to deliver the kind of communities where people want to live, work and enjoy their leisure time.”

 

 

Notes to Editors

 

This update is the first of a twice yearly progress report on the Drogheda Implementation Plan, providing updates on actions and timelines to the end of June 2022.

 

The Drogheda Scoping Exercise was commissioned by the Minister for Justice in 2020 in response to rising concerns regarding crime and fear of crime in Drogheda.

 

The report, entitled ‘Drogheda: Creating a Bridge to a Better Future’, was completed by Mr. Vivian Geiran, former director of the Probation Service, and published in January 2021.

 

The report explored the challenges presenting in the Drogheda catchment area, in addition to local strengths and resources. It also identified measures that could support community safety and chart a path to improved community wellbeing in and around Drogheda.

 

The recommendations in the report fall under two general headings:

 

  • The need for improved interagency cooperation in the administration and delivery of services in Drogheda, and;
  • The need to resource services or provide additional services in the area.

 

Since the publication of the report, the Department of Justice has engaged with relevant Government Departments and Agencies, and Louth County Council to develop an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the report.

 

At a local level, the Drogheda Implementation Board is the core driver and co-ordinator of the activities outlined in the Plan, while the Department of Justice provides national oversight to ensure strategic direction, action planning and the delivery of the Drogheda Implementation Plan.

 

Additionally, the recently established Drogheda Implementation Plan High Level Oversight Group, chaired by the Department of Justice, provides further oversight with representatives from all key government departments, the HSE and Tusla.

 

The Drogheda Implementation Plan is a living document that will be updated on a regular basis as new actions or activities emerge.