Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government refers to the drug and alcohol task forces. It says that they "play a key role" in implementing the drug strategy; that the Government will continue to support them "in identifying local need in communities"; that it will "support targeted initiatives"; and that it will address "drug and alcohol misuse". The truth is there has been limited progress on this commitment to support those who are on the front line in dealing with the problems of drug abuse and addiction. The funding is dire. For example, the funding for the Tallaght Drug & Alcohol Task Force, of which I am a member, is still below what it was in 2010, despite the fact that the population has exploded, as have drug problems. One issue is that the Minister needs to engage with the task forces. We have a new Minister of State responsible for the drug strategy, Deputy Naughton. The Tallaght Drug & Alcohol Task Force wrote to the Minister of State seeking a meeting and was informed that the Minister of State was not available, with no alternative time being offered. At the very least, should she not be meeting the task forces?

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