Pa Daly
Question:867. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice the cost of the pilot mental health de-escalation programmes within An Garda Síochána. [27346/23]
View answerTuesday, 13 June 2023
Questions (867)
Written answers
As the Deputy may be aware, one of the recommendations made by the High Level Taskforce established to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of those who come into contact with the criminal justice sector, is the development of a Community Access Support Team or CAST. This recommendation came from the work of a subgroup of the High Level Taskforce that looked at diversion.
The CAST pilot project is expected to commence in late 2023 and I am advised by the Garda Authorities that regular meetings are taking place between An Garda Síochána, the HSE and Limerick City and County Council and work to progress the pilot is advancing.
In response to the Deputy's specific question about the cost of the CAST pilot project for An Garda Síochána, I can advise the pilot is yet to go live and that the involvement of An Garda Síochána in any task-force or multi-agency project is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner. As such I am not in a position to provide information on the costs arising for An Garda Síochána.