Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is true that positions have not been filled in a number of areas across health, but this is not because of a lack of finance or effort by the front-line managers involved. We have moved from a situation where for years, all of the effort involved paring down staff, so when one then tells managers to start hiring a lot of people it creates difficulties. We are finding it difficult to recruit in some areas and in some parts of the country, but we are not giving up on that by any means.

Under the dormant accounts scheme, local drugs task forces did not have their budgets cut for the first time in seven years which was in recognition of the fact that they now have responsibility for alcohol. I can confirm that their budgets will be increased slightly this year because some of the money from the dormant accounts fund will be given to each local drugs and alcohol task force to do a specific project on alcohol in the area. The sums involved are modest but we are getting to the point where we will have an increase in funding this year.

Community employment schemes are the responsibility of the Department of Social Protection, as the Deputy will know, but I have been informed that considerable progress has been made on increasing the number of participants on community employment drug rehabilitation schemes. In December 2014, there were 936 referred clients, which is almost the full capacity of 1,000, of whom 644 were male and 292 female. Of the support workers, 103 were male and 117 were female. In total, 1,156 places were taken up, compared to only 655 when the Government came into office. I am also advised that there has been no change in the entry requirements for community employment schemes. Places are available only to service users who are in drug rehabilitation and are referred to a place by an addiction service practitioner, referral practitioners, key workers, case managers or counsellors, GPs, treatment centre practitioners or other health service practitioners.

See this speech in context