Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

In respect of the area for which I am responsible, I welcome the €12.5 million increase in funding for drugs programmes in 2008, which the Minister for Finance announced in yesterday's budget. This increase of more than 25% constitutes a major funding boost for drugs programmes next year and builds on increases in funding secured for these programmes in the past three years. It reaffirms the high priority the Government continues to give to tackling the drugs problem.

The 2008 allocation of €64 million, of which almost €56 million is current funding and €8 million is capital funding, will facilitate progress towards the fulfilment of drug-related commitments in the programme for Government. From the debate on the drugs strategy in the House last week, it is clear the Government approach enjoys cross-party support. I look forward to receiving the support of all Members in rolling out facilities to assist communities in addressing drug-related issues in their localities.

With respect to the work of drugs task forces, the additional funding will allow for further progress towards the full implementation of the agreed work programmes of the regional drugs task forces, the development and strengthening of local drugs task forces programmes and the full implementation of the emerging needs fund. The allocation will also cover the provision of more facilities and services for young people between the ages of ten and 21 years who are at risk of becoming involved with drugs.

Support, encouragement and confidence building for young people are vital. In my years as a teacher and through my experience working in the youth and voluntary sector, I have witnessed at first hand the positive effects which can arise from giving disadvantaged young people extra support and encouragement at an early stage. The allocation will also facilitate the expansion of the operation of the fund to some further towns, primarily in Leinster. I will engage with the regional drugs task forces to identify the towns they consider most appropriate for the roll-out of this programme.

This funding will not only consolidate the valuable and ongoing work being done under the drugs initiatives but will provide funding to roll out those aspects of the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the working group on drugs rehabilitation, with its focus on the development of an effective inter-agency approach based on a continuum of care for the individual, which pertain to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

The tragic events of recent weeks have highlighted the increasing threat to society from cocaine misuse. The Government sets a high priority on tackling this issue. I intend to increase funding aimed at dealing with this threat through ensuring the implementation of the recommendations, as appropriate, of the report, An Overview of Cocaine Use in Ireland, published by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs in March this year.

Furthermore, I intend providing funding to initiate the development of a number of projects to tackle the drugs problem in Limerick city, based on the vision statements of the two Limerick regeneration boards which are due early in the new year. The operational timespan for the current national drugs strategy is drawing to a conclusion and I am initiating the process which will lead to the formulation of a new national drugs strategy for the period after 2008. This will be a collaborative exercise between Departments and agencies and the community and voluntary sectors. Many challenges will face us in the years ahead and for this reason I am anxious to become actively engaged with various interest groups. In particular, I wish to engage with young people in the coming year to establish how they believe they can contribute to addressing a difficult social issue. I expect the steering group will meet in the next two weeks to initiate the consultation process, after which we will enter full-scale consultations with the various stakeholders.

I acknowledge the deep interest and leadership Deputy Neville has shown in the area of suicide prevention. The Deputy made some interesting references to the lack of support services in the youth psychiatric area. From my engagement with the Health Service Executive, specifically its primary and continuing community care teams, I am convinced it is determined to ensure this aspect of care is addressed. Only last week, I saw a very good initiative which is operated under the aegis of Arbour House in Cork. The facility, which is under construction in St. Finbar's Hospital in Cork, is a new centre of excellence that will provide integrated services and comprehensive care for a wide range of patients, including drug misusers and people affected by related problems.

We face many challenges in this area and I have no doubt the next strategy, which will extend to 2016, will require periods of review and evaluation, as has been the case with previous phases of the national drugs strategy. With considerable cross-party support in the House, it is possible to overcome these difficult challenges.

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