23. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice when the pilot project for a mental health crisis de-escalation team will be in operation in Limerick; and the reason for any delays. [24753/23]

Minister for Justice Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the Final Report and Recommendations of the High Level Task Force to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of those who come into contact with the criminal justice sector was published by Minister McEntee and the Minister for Health in September 2022.

The recommendations aim to ensure better support for people at the earliest point at which they come into contact with the criminal justice system and to divert them away from it where possible, while supporting them in their rehabilitation from addiction and in the recovery and management of their illness.

The recommendations also seek to address the question of better support for prisoners in their rehabilitation when justice requires a prison sentence, and that progress made in prison is not lost after release.

One of the recommendations that came from the work of the subgroup of the High Level Task Force that looked at diversion, is the development of a Community Access Support Team or CAST.

It is intended that the development of the CAST approach will enhance diversionary practices for those experiencing crisis and situational trauma that leads to mental health difficulties. This approach moves towards the shared goal of providing a compassionate and effective response to people in distress and improving the experience and outcomes for those experiencing distress and those providing support.

To progress this, it is proposed that a pilot team in the Limerick area will be used to develop the learnings from this multi-disciplinary approach in order to inform further roll-out on a national level.

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.

All aspects of the pilot will be fully evaluated to inform and design the long term implementation. The Limerick CAST pilot is the first time a co-responder model and support hub will be introduced in Ireland that will respond to, and support, those experiencing crisis and situational trauma.