Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Ten regional drugs task forces have been established in areas not covered by local drugs task forces. Thus, all parts of the country are now serviced by a drugs task force.

The overall role of the regional drugs task forces is to prepare and implement regional action plans that identify existing and emerging gaps in services relating to education and prevention, curbing supply, treatment and rehabilitation. The regional drugs task forces provide a mechanism for the co-ordination of mainstream services in the regions, while at the same time allowing communities and voluntary organisations to participate in the planning, design and delivery of those services.

Membership of these task forces includes representatives of all the relevant agencies, such as the Health Service Executive, the Garda, the probation and welfare service, the Department of Education and Science, the local authorities, the youth service and FÁS. The task forces also include representation from voluntary agencies, community representatives and elected public representatives. Each task force has a voluntary chairperson and was assigned an interim co-ordinator. The recruitment of full-time co-ordinators is ongoing and it is expected that all ten will be in place by the middle of June. Each task force has an operational budget that facilitates the employment of a project development worker and an administrative assistant.

Progress is now being made by the task forces, all of which have prepared action plans for their regions. A sum of €5 million has been allocated to the ten task forces towards the implementation of those plans for 2006. Funding will be increased on an incremental basis over the coming years to achieve the full roll-out of the action plans, which are estimated to have a full cost in the region of €12.2 million per annum. It is expected that the rate of progress being made by the task forces will accelerate in the latter part of the year, especially in view of the employment of the full-time co-ordinators.

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