Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As at June 2013 there were 664participants in drug rehabilitation projects in the three Dublin divisions, comprising 338 participants in Dublin Central, 130 in Dublin North and 196 in Dublin South. This represented an increase of 12% compared with the figure for June 2012, when there was 595 participants in drug rehabilitation projects in those divisions. Progress has been made in a number of areas in ensuring the sustainability and development of drug rehabilitation projects operated under the community employment scheme. This is in accordance with a commitment I gave when I took over the management of the scheme.

An improved vacancy notification system for drug rehabilitation places is now in place and has been advised to all scheme sponsors. This aims to improve the spread of draw-down of places within Dublin and across the country and increase awareness of these opportunities. Priority was given in the application of the additional 2,000 places provided by the Department in this year's budget. If Deputies have ideas on innovative means of providing additional places, I and my officials would be pleased to hear them.

A referral process has been introduced to ensure appropriate referrals to the rehabilitation places. The Department's referral protocol has been agreed with the National Drugs Rehabilitation Implementation Committee, NDRIC, and links with the emerging care and case management framework designed to promote an inter-agency response to the needs of people working towards rehabilitation. Earlier this year a stakeholders group for drug rehabilitation schemes was established by the community employment policy unit within the Department. This group acts as a consultative mechanism to assist the Department in identifying improvements to the current community employment drugs programme and advising on how we can attain efficiencies and value for money in the delivery of the programme.

As part of this development, a drugs awareness briefing workshop was held recently for officers within the Department who are working with the drug rehabilitation schemes. The workshop was delivered by key stakeholders from the statutory and community sectors, including scheme participants.

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The objective was to inform and advise officers on developments in regard to drugs rehabilitation scheme places and to enhance their skills in working with the operators of the schemes.

My Department is a member of the Oversight Forum on Drugs, the Department of Health's drug advisory group and NDRIC, and supports drug task force activities. I am confident that all of these improvements and better local engagement will lead to the delivery of a better programme.

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