Ms Aoife Bairéad:

I thank the Chair and members of the Oireachtas committee for inviting us. I am the Chair of the Canal Communities Drug and Alcohol Task Force. I represent the LDATFCN here today. Chairpersons are voluntary and independent. Our purpose is to be a representative voice for the task forces. We have a strong collaborative relationship with the local drug and alcohol task force co-ordinators' network, and I am joined by Jim Doherty, one of our co-ordinator representatives.

The local drugs task forces were a mechanism created more than 25 years ago to facilitate the involvement of local communities in the development of the services they needed to deal with the problems created by drugs use. Since then, task forces have been at the forefront of innovation and development of these services, often leading the statutory services because of their more flexible and responsive nature and their connections to the communities in which they are situated. We believe this remains our core strength today, and if the recommendations of the citizens' assembly are to be pursued, task forces are central to their success.

Successive Governments have seen the task forces as key delivery agents and have enshrined their role in the national drugs strategies. The citizens' assembly undertook extraordinary work and commitment to offer the Government a comprehensive plan to address the needs of individuals and communities impacted by drugs. We commend the committee members colleagues on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use on their recent interim report, which further strengthens this plan. The Government acknowledges that a health-led approach to the issue is paramount. Further to this, we welcome the finding of the assembly that the Government should apply a "health in all policies" approach to policy development. Task forces and their funded services are ready to work closely with statutory services to implement the assembly's recommendations. The current funding framework whereby most funding for task forces is distributed through health funding means there is no structural barrier to this. However, it will require a change in focus, leadership and a long-term commitment to the communities we serve, both through collaborative work and, most importantly, adequate resources.

During the period from 2010 to date, health expenditure increased by 56% while drugs task forces have seen their funding decrease by 4.5% and have seen their resources steadily reduced over the past ten years. This is incompatible with a continued leading role for task forces, and with task forces being able to implement either their obligations under the national drugs strategy or the recommendations of the citizens' assembly.

Local drug and alcohol task forces operate in the most disadvantaged communities in the country that have endured the long-term systemic impact of drug use and the wider implications of poverty, disadvantage and exclusion, often over generations. We are abundantly clear on the evidence of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on people's health and well-being. More recently, we have also had to acknowledge the impact of adverse community experiences. Poverty, violence and discrimination, lack of opportunity, economic mobility or social capital, and poor or inadequate housing all create conditions where moving out of drug use, and other challenges such as mental health, poly-victimisation, violence and criminality, is difficult. By continuing to under resource and underfund communities, we not only limit the chances of individual recovery, but also limit the potential for these communities to find the resources and resilience available within them. The future of drug policy in Ireland must be with the goal to not just reduce the harmful impact of drug use, but also to ensure that communities thrive and flourish, lessening the factors that lead to this problematic use.

Task forces are committed to Sláintecare and equality of access and opportunity for all our communities. Ireland's population is growing and becoming more diverse, which is presenting new challenges for task force services. Of particular concern is the lack of a coherent strategy for engagement with drugs and alcohol use among refugees and international protection-seekers, many of whom are fleeing violent conflict, and bring with them much trauma and a desire to self-medicate. There needs to be urgent additional support for task forces, who are being asked to provide services to this population.

The current model of channelling funding through statutory agencies presents complications when these agencies apply their own strategic priorities to funding intended for task forces. This sometimes means that new funding tranches do not reach task forces at all. This prevents task forces from achieving what we are most successful at; offering flexible, adaptable services tailored to the communities we serve. We fill a gap that national strategies and services simply cannot.

We call on the Government to acknowledge the implications of its own commitments and to link the funding levels of task forces to that of the broader health services. This will allow us to serve our communities with confidence and commit to increasing their resilience to difficulties caused by drug use, drugs sales and drug distribution.

Further to this, we ask that the committee ensure that the HSE recognises task forces within the forthcoming changes to its new regional structures. This can be done by funding, providing a clear organisational chart, which shows how representatives on task forces report into the new structures, and at what level, and ensuring that task forces are not overlooked in the new push towards population-based planning. This is necessary considering the clear evidence for an ongoing prioritised approach, as shown in the Health Research Board treatment figures. Task forces were established because it was recognised that not all populations are the same or should be treated the same, and it is essential that our role is clearly defined and properly funded so we can continue to succeed.

If the Government is to be successful in meeting the goals of the national drug strategy, the recommendations of the citizens' assembly and the more recent recommendations of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use, a substantial change in approach and engagement will need to be introduced. It is important that the agenda of Government is not frustrated by the strategies of individual agencies and we need to be seen as meaningful partners in this work. Given this, we propose the following: the role of junior Minister for drugs within the Department of Health to be established; the establishment of a cross-departmental committee on drugs, committed to progressing the recommendations of the citizens' assembly and the Oireachtas committee on drugs fully and in a timely manner; quarterly meetings with the Department and the chairpersons' network to be convened, and that these are planned annually - these should be offered with immediate effect; biannual meeting with the Department, the Minister and the chairpersons' network to be convened, and should be scheduled for 2025 without delay; and a gaps analysis commissioned to look at the structural disadvantages that local drug task force areas face. We welcome the recent confirmation from the Minister that all community workers will be included in pay restoration. Further to this, we require funding to allow organisations to offer competitive salaries, increments and pension contributions, in line with public sector workers. This is absolutely necessary if we are to address the chronic challenges of recruitment and retention in task force services. We also call for funding systems that prioritise the strategic goal of task forces with regards to their own budgets. The unique quality of drug and alcohol task forces is their ability to recruit the time, talents and commitment of volunteers such as board members, chairpersons, and committee members. To safeguard this quality, the autonomy and integrity of task forces must be protected.

I thank committee members for their time.