Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The disparity of funding needs to be looked at. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State is starting to make those changes. I have been on the task forces practically since they were established so I have seen a lot of changes, many of them positive. I still do not understand how the funding model the Department has been using came about. Perhaps the Minister of State could write a note to the committee in that regard.

At the start of the meeting, Mr. Walsh talked about new structures being established. Can our guests send us a note about who is engaging in discussions about these new structures? Representatives of the CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign attended a recent committee meeting. They were concerned that the community element seemed to have been done away with under the new structures. I am glad that there has been a change there. People involved in the drugs task forces do not understand how these changes are happening. They are not clearly involved in the changes. Everyone needs to be involved in discussions about any change at all. That would be helpful.

It is not unusual for people suffering from the side effects of crack cocaine or cocaine to attend accident and emergency departments. I am aware of people in their 70s attending accident and emergency departments. I know there is a pilot scheme in Tallaght Hospital to deal with people experiencing difficulties with addiction. They can be forwarded on and there are supports available in that area. That pilot scheme is working well. Perhaps that is something the Minister of State could consider implementing for other areas and not just Tallaght.

The Minister of State mentioned the importance of the task force. There are different pillars involved in drug rehabilitation, including education, rehabilitation and so on. This is an old chestnut but it is important that key people have seats around the task force table. It is important that the Garda is represented and there is representation for the justice element. It is also important that local authorities and political voices are represented. It is also important that the Department of Education, the voluntary sector and other Departments are represented. Will the Minister of State look at that as a possible way forward? When we originally talked about the task force being established, it was envisaged that the various Departments would be represented. There seemed to be kickback from various Departments on that. If we are talking about people moving on with their lives, the Department of Social Protection needs to be represented and there is a requirement for representation from the Department with responsibility for jobs. All those elements need to be included, to have a voice and to engage. The work of the task force would be much more positive if that were the case. I am putting that proposal to the Minister of State. He might consider it.

How does the Minister of State envisage the 96 new community healthcare networks impacting on targeted funding when they are implemented through Sláintecare? We already have a difficulty with funding for CHO 7, as has been mentioned already. It is getting less funding than it was ten years ago. How will this structure impact that? Will it be positive with regard to funding or does the Minister of State have any idea?

The Minister of State mentioned the 50 actions taken during the first period of the national drugs strategy, of which 25 have been delivered and 20 delayed. What about the other five? The Minister of State might give us a note on that point.

The Minister of State gave a figure for the number of deaths. Those are 2017 figures. One of the issues that many of the drug task forces come across is the amount of drug-related suicides and the difficulty of getting evidence in that regard. Is there any possibility of looking at something in that regard?

An holistic approach to the drug crisis is important, including the active engagement of all parties. That is key. We need more people around the drug task force area.

The following point, concerning front-line services, has already been mentioned this morning. People are on the same income they were ten years ago. That applies to section 39 workers. They need a voice. We are losing key personnel to the private sector. That needs to be addressed.

We need a champion for change and the Minister of State needs to be that champion, that voice around the Cabinet table. There is a view out there that we are losing the challenge that is facing many communities. We can look back at what happened in the late 1980s and 1990s in Dublin. The fear in many communities, not just in Dublin, is that we are going to face an epidemic of crack cocaine use similar to the heroin epidemic of the past. There is a pathway forward but we need changes. We need to evolve not only task forces but also our communities. Change needs to happen. Does the Minister of State want to respond to any of the points I have made?