Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a couple of matters that are part of the remit of the national drugs strategy. One pertains to a conversation I had with an acquaintance who works in the area of counselling people with a drug addiction. My acquaintance, who works on the ground, raised three issues with me that this person considered to be very important. First, my acquaintance thought it important that the work on the alcohol policy initiated by the former Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, should continue. Much work has gone into that particular policy and while this motion pertains to the national drugs strategy, it is important to have joined-up thinking and co-operation in respect of both alcohol and drug addiction. Essentially, it is important to combine the expertise because there is overlap in this regard, as the basic issue is addiction. The second point was that more must be done in respect of homelessness, which again must be linked to measures to address alcohol and drug addiction. Third, I understand there is a gap in services with regard to pre-detoxification support. For a start, there are not enough beds for detoxification purposes. Moreover, while people who have decide to undergo detoxification treatment await a bed, there is not enough support for them beforehand. There is neither enough pre-detoxification support nor sufficient aftercare support on completion of treatment for addiction. These points are derived from a person with experience on the ground.

Another point I wish to raise, which is covered by the national drugs strategy and the drugs task forces, pertains to dealing with crime and antisocial behaviour that may be connected with drug addiction, but which also may give rise to events within a community that might lead people to stay in addiction. In this context, I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy White, on his new position and wish him well. However, one issue to which I wish to draw his attention is a matter that had been drawn to the attention of his predecessor but which has not been resolved. I refer to four community safety forums, namely, North Clondalkin Community Safety Forum, South West Clondalkin Community Safety Forum, Fettercairn Estate Management and Killinarden Estate Management. Heretofore, they have been largely funded out of county council funds channelled through the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. However, that money has been withdrawn because it is more appropriate that it be funded as part of the national drugs strategy. However, the issue about funding came up in South Dublin County Council earlier this year and while I acknowledge it has been resolved until the end of this year, the matter will come up again and I bring it to the Minister of State's attention for that reason. The council stated that the workers, that is, the people who are funded under this project, have been an asset to the local communities, the council and all other relevant State agencies in terms of providing information from within the local community, organising clean-ups, summer projects, events and local policing fora, working on joint projects generally funded in the main by councils, as well as providing a representational role on a number of fora in the area. I am particularly familiar with North Clondalkin Community Safety Forum, which is highly proactive. There are meetings to which residents come along and raise their concerns, after which there are follow-ups by the project worker. My understanding is the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government considers that such fora should be under the purview of the drugs strategy. When continuation of funding was announced earlier this year by the aforementioned Department, it stated it should be looked at under the review of the national drugs strategy structures. I hope the Minister of State will consider this and will find sustainable funding for the future because otherwise, the projects will collapse, which would be a terrible loss to those communities.

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