Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

Tá cúig nóiméad agam ach ní mórán ama é sin le díriú ar an gceist seo. A number of Members raised issues. The normal practice is for a Minister to make a contribution outlining all the money we have spent on an issue but I will make a number of general comments before addressing the specific issues raised, if I have enough time. Drugs and areas of deprivation are more or less synonymous with each other and the State's drugs policy has been developed on that basis.

The young people's facilities and services fund was established with the focus on areas of high deprivation and this must be sustained. Much work has been done but more still needs to be done. Funding has increased but more investment is needed in youth facilities and diversion programmes. In addition, through the RAPID programme, we are trying to deal with the issue of marginalisation in society. The design of housing estates and its impact on crime levels is another issue. Certain buildings attract problems by their very design. Many issues must be tackled and we will focus on that age group.

However, it is simplistic to say that drugs are only a problem among one socio-economic group in society. Cocaine abuse is one of the greatest challenges we face because it is not as clearly defined socially or geographically as the heroin problem. It would be foolish to think that focusing on one area will address the totality of the drugs problem in our society. There were multifaceted and clearly defined reasons for the abuse of heroin and other drugs and they were easier to tackle than the new phenomenon of cocaine abuse which is rife throughout society. It must be tackled and we must develop new policies.

Regional drugs task forces point out in every one of their reports that alcohol is the primary drug. The debate is ongoing about whether alcohol should be treated as a drug. The polyuse of drugs is also an issue, where a combination of drugs is taken, including alcohol. It was stated in the House last week that the debate on drug abuse is confrontational and the issues are not teased out, but these issues must be debated

Deputy English asked how many people have come off methadone. Approximately 8,000 people are on methadone and 360 have come off it. He also raised the waiting times for treatment, especially in the midlands. It can take up to 19 months in the Athlone centre and six months in the Portlaoise centre. However, the waiting times are shorter at Clondalkin and Ballyfermot. Other than that, assessment and treatment are available quickly, varying from a number of days to a few weeks.

Deputy Gregory referred to the north-west inner city Dublin scheme. The Minister of State will visit the scheme shortly and he will then make a decision on funding under the emerging needs fund. He gave a detailed reply on that issue during Question Time recently.

Regional drugs task forces have been allocated €5 million this year to implement their plans, which is all they will be able to spend because schemes must be cranked up. However, the funding has been increased to €12.2 million. Funding will need to continue to increase and we will try to secure good incremental increases, as has been the case in the recent years.

Deputies O'Shea and Gregory referred to the use of crack cocaine in north inner city Dublin. We have discussed this issue on a number of occasions with the Garda. Thankfully, it is limited to a small area but we accept it is a threat and we must try to see what we can do to stem it.

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