Departmental Funding
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-03
============================================================

Alison Comyn (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I raise the concerning removal of funding for the Red Door Project's probation service work in Drogheda. The decision risks dismantling a proven model of restorative justice and community rehabilitation.
Since 2018, the Red Door Project has been a core partner in the drugs court initiative, working directly with some of the highest risk and most vulnerable individuals in the community. Over the last seven years, the project's staff have built strong, trusted relationships with participants, probation officers and the courts. These relationships are not easily replicated and provide vital stability and support for those attempting to reintegrate. I have worked with the Red Door Project over the years. It provides a fantastic drop-in space, where staff maintain eyes on those at highest risk. It provides education and community employment placements, daily integration supports and consistent engagements for clients attending the drugs court.
It has a long-standing proven record with the Probation Service, the courts and other community agencies. This work is not easy; it is complex, trust based and locally embedded. The project's strength lies in its deep knowledge of Drogheda, its people and its challenges, knowledge which has taken years to build. It has become a crucial source of community intelligence and a stabilising presence for individuals who might otherwise fall between the cracks.
The decision to remove this funding and reallocate it to a Dublin-based organisation - one that, however capable, has no local roots - poses a real risk. It undermines continuity of care, removes local expertise and destabilises those who rely on this service to meet court obligations and rebuild their lives. Furthermore, this decision directly contradicts the spirit and intent of the Drogheda implementation board which was established by the Department of Justice following the escalation of the Drogheda drugs feud a few years ago. That board's final report earlier this year highlighted the need for local relationship-based supports, integrated multi-agency work, integration and sustained community involvement, essential to reducing relapsing and to strengthen resilience in the Drogheda and north-east area. To remove funding from that project, which embodies exactly those principles, flies in the face of that evidence and the Department's stated objectives.
The Red Door Project is not just another service provider. It is an incredible local service which is part of the fabric of Drogheda's recovery. Its understanding of the local dynamics, the legacy of the feud and the risks facing its clients a second to none. Its partnership with the Probation Service has delivered real results and safer communities, supported rehabilitation, and restored lives, which is the ultimate goal. I am asking that this decision be urgently reviewed and that the funding for this probation partnership be restored to the Red Door Project. The loss of the collaboration would undo years of progress. It has already lost the funding from 31 October, so this is not fear and scaremongering. It is already seeing damage to the trust that is so central to successful community justice. Just to be clear, it is not funding from the Probation Service but from the justice Department as part of the implementation board, which was hard fought for and hard won, and the results are showing.
Drogheda deserves continuity, respect for local expertise and meaningful investment in the services which have proven their worth on the ground. I am hopeful of getting a positive response today in order that it can be reviewed immediately and that funding can be reinstated to the Red Door Project in order that it can continue its valuable work.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:25+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-03