John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

To reiterate, spending on the drugs programme across Departments in the current year is quite substantial, at €266 million. The main focus behind the establishment of a dedicated office is to ensure we avoid duplication, deliver effective outcomes, and base our decisions on evidence. That is important. The message should not go from here today that the drugs issue is not being tackled seriously. The changes we are making are to reflect the current environment and the fact that we are dealing with a national problem.

Money alone is not enough; it is about how we deliver and target it. We must be able to get measurable, effective outcomes for the money we are spending, and having a single dedicated office will give us greater clarity in evaluating and monitoring a range of programmes. It is separate from the money we spend directly. Apart from the community sector - we talked about community projects earlier - the voluntary sector has played an increasing role and will continue to do so in the future.

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