Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last week, my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, announced additional funding of €1 million for the implementation of the national drugs strategy. The funding will be provided on a recurring multi-annual basis will address the priorities set out in the strategy. Those will include early harm reduction responses, emerging trends in substance misuse, including polydrug use and crack cocaine and improving services for at-risk groups. Government policy in relation to drug and alcohol addiction services is set out in the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery: A Health-led Response to Drug and Alcohol Use in Ireland 2017-2025.

Drug and alcohol task forces play a key role in assessing the extent and nature of substance misuse in their areas, and in supporting community responses, as part of a co-ordinated approach involving all sectors at local and regional levels. A total of €27.645 million was allocated to the drug and alcohol task forces by the Department and the HSE in 2018. This level of funding has been maintained for the past number of years. This funding is used to support community drug projects to deliver services which meet local priorities. The Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, is very familiar with and greatly appreciates this valuable work in local communities.

The Department and the HSE allocate over €2 million to the south inner city local drug and alcohol task force each year to fund 23 projects in the area. The Donore community drug team receives in the region of €178,000 from the allocation to the south inner city's local drug and alcohol task force, LDTF. The HSE has monitoring and oversight responsibilities of drug and alcohol task forces under its section 39 governance framework. This is to ensure that service provision is meeting identified needs and there is accountability and transparency for public monies provided by the Department of Health. The HSE has advised that the task force co-ordinator for the south inner city task force, the LDTF, has had several meetings with the Donore community drug team in respect of the TRY programme. It is working with it on structural development and financial issues.

I also understand that the youth programme will be the subject of discussion at a meeting of HSE senior management next week. Measuring the overall effectiveness of the response to the drug problem is an important objective of drug policy. Resources are best directed towards interventions and strategies which are most likely to lead to a reduction in problem substance use and an improvement in public health, safety and well-being.

The Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, is committed to developing a performance measurement system by 2020 which will improve accountability and strengthen the task force model. The funding will complement enhancements in drug and alcohol treatment services related to mental health and homelessness under the 2019 HSE national service plan. The Minister of State will be consulting with the drug and alcohol task forces, including that of the south inner city, and the HSE on how best to target this new funding. The Minister of State has invited the task forces to a meeting in the Department of Health at the end of March to begin this process.

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