Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 1 February 2024

Public Accounts Committee

Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 38 - Health
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 18 - Health Service Executive Funding and Financial Reporting

9:30 am

Mr. Bernard Gloster:

I do not have specific detail on that to hand. If we go back to the previous iterations of the regional drug task forces, I would have a clear expectation, first, that we would not vire that money for anything else and I would expect local chief officers in CHO areas to utilise the money for the task for which it is meant. If they have a difficulty either in recruiting or in utilising the money in a particular way, they should still use it within the overall drugs remit, whether that is on harm reduction such as methadone or on counselling, interventions and so on. I think the control of protecting the money for drugs is what the Deputy is talking about, and I would certainly be happy that this is not a major problem.