Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit as a phost nua ach is trua gur eisean atá anseo anois, mar is cáineadh ar an Rialtas é an méid atá le rá agam. Níl an Aire Stáit ach díreach tar éis a phost nua a ghlacadh. The national drugs strategy is in crisis and the Government, in particular the Department of Education and Science, has chosen to abandon the strategy and the thousands of families who are dependent on its full delivery, despite its shortfalls. By its actions, the Government is abandoning the national drugs strategy at a time of recession, despite the fact that historically recessions have led to increased drug use.

The Government is dumping the strategy at a time when drug crime is reaching unprecedented proportions and head shops and the so-called legal highs they supply are posing an increased threat to public health by enticing more people to use dangerous substances. There are more than 100 head shops in this State, meaning we have more such shops per capita than any other country in Europe and possibly the world. One of the functions of the Department of Education and Science should be to raise awareness among young people as to the dangers of so-called legal highs and illegal drugs, especially given the Government's failure to date to regulate or ban head shops.

The abandonment of the national drugs strategy is evidenced this week by the Taoiseach's decision not to appoint a junior or senior Minister with overall responsibility for the strategy. The national drugs strategy does not feature in the title of any Ministry. The Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government is playing a deadly game of political chess with the strategy. The Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Pat Carey, once held a part-time role as Minister with responsibility for drugs but was bumped out of the way to the position of Chief Whip and replaced by the current Chief Whip, Deputy John Curran. Later, Deputy Curran was appointed Chief Whip, a position in which I hope he will do a good job. While the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Pat Carey, has responsibility for drugs, he also has a multitude of other briefs. Drugs is clearly not the priority brief as it does not feature in his title.

These changes have been made following the dismantling of the national drugs team on the premise that a super Ministry with responsibility for drugs would be established. What we have instead is another broken promise. The Department of Education and Science also cut funding recently, which indicates a policy decision to dump the prevention pillar of the national drugs strategy, probably the most important of all the strategy's pillars. We need to stop future generations becoming addicted to drugs. To do this, we must educate and support young people. It is the Government's responsibility to deliver and fund programmes and services rather than reduce or cut them.

I propose to highlight some of the effects of budget cuts. A budget cut of 33%, which is fatal to many projects, has been made to 38 young people at risk, mainstream programmes, many of which are located in my constituency. The 33% cut this year will be followed by a complete withdrawal of funding by the end of the year. The projects in question employ 64 people who are delivering vital services which target young people at risk from drugs, including diversionary activities, one-to-one supports and supports to remain in education. These projects have all been evaluated, proven effective and mainstreamed but are now being closed by Government without as much as a second thought.

In 2001, a child living in the inner city had a one in four chance of becoming addicted to drugs. Now that child's survival odds are ten times higher - or even more - a direct consequence of the work of these projects and projects like them. Implementing these cuts will set those projects and services and young people back years in those areas which are suffering from the recession and which never benefited in a major way from the Celtic tiger.

In my own area, Ballyfermot youth service peer education is being hit with the 33% cut now, followed by the loss of all funding at the end of the year. The same is to happen to Familiscope. The Ballyfermot advance after-school grants scheme has been abolished outright already. There are other such projects such as the BRU youth club, Dublin 12 Youth Service and CLAY youth project in Crumlin and Drimnagh and many others. Some of these are limited companies and in some ways are trading recklessly because of the cut.

There is much more to be said about the curriculum and the support projects in schools. I could continue and probably shall on future occasions because there is a great deal to be concerned about arising from the Government's approach in recent times, especially after the Cabinet reshuffle which suggested it is to abandon the national drugs strategy.

See this speech in context