Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

This matter relates to funding in respect of two projects providing drug addiction services in County Wicklow. The matter was brought to my attention by Sinn Féin's local councillor in the area, Councillor Eamon Long, who has been in contact with both groups to ensure that the information I read into the record today is correct and factual.

The Bara Project and Treo Nua are two community projects run by the County Wicklow Community Addiction Service which meet the support needs of drug users and recovering addicts in the east County Wicklow area, including Greystones, Enniskerry, Roundwood, Laragh, Rathdrum, Newtownmountkennedy, Newcastle, Kilcoole, Rathnew, Ashford, Wicklow Town, Aughrim, Avoca, Arklow, Carnew, Tinahelly and Shilleagh.

The Bara Project provides vital supports to people suffering addiction and to their families including advocacy, one-to-one supports, addiction counselling, holistic therapies, drug education programmes, onward referral, Prison Links work, and information and advice on drugs, drug use and related health promotion. Since opening in January 2007, the Bara Project has provided support services to 348 individuals or families, a huge number given the rural nature of the areas listed.

Treo Nua is a rehabilitation project that provides vital support services, in the form of a structured day programme, to those stable or drug-free. Although only established in January of this year it is already dealing with 35 referrals on an ongoing basis. This is likely to be a fraction of the real level of need in the area which will become increasingly visible as the projects become better established.

The Bara Project and Treo Nua have been informed in writing that their budgets are to be reduced respectively from €259,648 in 2008 to €150,000 in 2009, a €109,000 reduction and from €474,585 in 2008 to €381,000 in 2009, a reduction of €93,000. In 2007, the combined projects received a budget of €809,110. In 2008, that was reduced to €734,228 and now it is being further reduced to €531,500. That is a reduction of more than €277,000 in two years. The implications of those cuts are devastating. The staff cuts will mean that the numbers who can access the support services will be reduced. Funding for the Bara Project is set to be cut by 37.5%. A staff post will be lost, which means that some of those people seeking support to address their addiction will have to be turned away. Likewise Treo Nua will lose one and a half staff posts, as its funding is cut by 42%, so it will not be able to meet the support needs that exist among ex-drug users.

The bottom line is that one cannot meet the growing needs arising from the drugs crisis with fewer services. What rationale can the Minister provide for the sweeping cuts? The size of the cuts means they cannot be absorbed through technical efficiency manoeuvres or through expansion freezes. They mean one thing only, namely, service reduction. The implications of this budgetary decision for service users, their families and the wider community have been given zero consideration.

The Government talks tough on drugs but it is all talk. Here is the evidence. The full cost of the drugs crisis to society must be recognised. Those costs are human, social and economic. They include overdoses, road deaths, hospital stays, policing and prison costs, absenteeism from work, social welfare payments, related crime, intimidation and the existence of an extensive criminal underworld. The Government must invest in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Cuts are not the way forward, as the delivery of services cannot take place. The two services to which I referred are doing great work but they were only beginning to address some of the problems in the east Wicklow area. What they got in return for that is a kick in the teeth.

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