Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Act was signed into law by the President. It has not yet been commenced. I wish to raise general drug policy in light of that. I am finding that the drug treatment teams in communities are closing down. I hope the legislation is not a ruse to distract from that. I would like the relevant Minister to comment on and intervene regarding the following scenario in Dublin 15. The board of the ADAPT drugs team has voted to close down its project. There used to be three community drug projects: Hartstown-Huntstown, Blakestown-Mountview and Corduff-Mulhuddart. They merged into one, which is now closing. Could the Government intervene because there is a huge drug problem in the capital, as we know, and certainly in Dublin West? ADAPT provides an holistic approach. It deals with many aspects, including helping families, and it also runs an around the clock needle exchange in Coolmine. I am sure the Taoiseach is not willing to see the project close without doing something to intervene. I am sure it is a complex issue but I ask the Taoiseach to try to intervene to save the service. A caretaker-director, for example, and a caretaker board could be appointed for now to attempt to keep it open. I would like a comment on that.

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