Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Department took over these schemes in early 2012. I have long experience with people who have unfortunately built up addiction problems before going on a long journey of rehabilitation. That journey is important for them and for their families and children. I was a little taken aback to learn of the low level of take-up of these schemes before the Department took responsibility for them. I appreciate the information provided by the Deputy. I suggest that these specific issues could be taken to the stakeholders forum that we have set up. Many of those who had addiction problems but have gone through rehabilitation and are now clean following a long journey find that involvement in education, as opposed merely to training, is very important. As the Deputy knows, some of them go on to train to become counsellors and to participate in third level education. If the Deputy knows of specific issues that have arisen, the staff of my Department and I would certainly be interested in hearing about them. We have ring-fenced the places. In the particular cases in which we have made specific provision for a time extension, I would like to see a strong educational and developmental content.

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