Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Drug addiction is a scourge in every townland and hamlet in this country. The national drugs strategy task force established approximately ten years ago has made a significant impact on addressing the drugs problem throughout Ireland. The national drugs misuse report needs to be revisited, reviewed, tidied up administratively, followed up and implemented. In addition, all new funding should be spent on front line services rather than on administration and bureaucracy.

It is imperative that direct support is given to existing projects and services and that the drug task forces which provide critical front line services to those directly affected by drug and alcohol misuse are financially supported. This funding should be protected. If cuts are necessary, they should be made to administrative budgets. Most of these vital services, which are provided by the community sector, are well established in their areas and should not be withdrawn at this time.

Residential addiction treatment centres throughout the country are in the main operated by voluntary organisations, who are doing an excellent job with minimal financial support from the State. For example, Talbot Grove Treatment Centre in Castleisland, County Kerry, has been providing crucial and effective treatment programmes for more than 20 years. It is doing what the State is failing to do. A modest amount of financial support from the State would enable this centre to upgrade its services and better meet the needs of the south western corner of the country. A new Talbot Grove Treatment Centre is currently under construction to ensure continued provision of current services and to meet future needs. Capital supports need to be made available for projects like this, which save the State a fortune. Sister Consilio and her staff who, without any State funding, provide outstanding services at all their centres around the country are also saving the State millions of euro.

Prevention programmes such as Kerry Life Education, which operates from a mobile unit, visits all primary schools in Kerry on an annual basis. It provides students with an insight into the pitfalls and downside of the use of illegal drugs and misuse of alcohol. This project has never received any support from Government. It is of paramount importance that any resources provided go directly into these types of services rather than on administration.

We do not want to return to the perception of the past that the drugs problem, in particular the heroin problem, was more or less confined to Dublin, because it now affects practically every parish in the country. The services advanced by the national drugs strategy and the drugs task forces need to be sustained as essential front-line services and the national drugs misuse report needs to be implemented.

We are now paying the price for not grasping the nettle at an earlier stage. The abuse of alcohol continues to be the greatest problem by far, especially with regard to the number of people presenting at addiction treatment centres. In the Talbot Grove centre, which I mentioned, almost all the drug users have serious problems with alcohol, which is often the substance which brings them to treatment centres initially. The Government needs to revive the post of a Minister of State with responsibility for drugs because the implementation of the national drugs and alcohol programme has a lack of focus and direction.

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