Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the two Deputies for their contributions. I will come back to some of the issues that were raised in my second contribution. The national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, is our whole-of-Government response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland for the period from 2017 to 2025. Drug and alcohol task forces at local and regional level play a key role in assessing the extent and nature of the drug problem in local communities. They also ensure that a co-ordinated approach is taken across all sectors to address substance misuse based on the identified needs and priorities in their areas. The Department of Health provides in the region of €28 million to support task forces annually through various channels of funding, including the HSE. Individual task forces receive, on average, €1 million, which can be used to respond to local needs.

Measuring the overall effectiveness of the response to the drug problem is an important objective of drug policy. Resources should be 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 level of progress achieved in delivering on the actions set out in our national drugs strategy will be determined using performance indicators.

In March 2019, I announced additional funding of €1 million for the implementation of Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. This funding, which will be provided on a recurring, multi-annual basis, will address the priorities set down in the strategy including early harm-reduction responses to emerging trends in substance misuse and improving services for groups with complex needs. The funding will complement enhancements in drug and alcohol treatment services relating to mental health and homelessness under the 2019 HSE national service plan. On foot of a consultation process with drug and alcohol task forces and the HSE, I approved a three-strand funding model for the allocation of this funding in May. As part of strand 1 funding, each task force will receive €20,000 in 2019 and then €10,000 on a recurring annual basis from 2020 onwards. This funding can be used to enhance services and meet operational costs. I have made arrangements for these additional resources to be transferred to the task forces as soon as possible. I hope this will happen in the coming weeks. I will address some of the issues the Deputies have raised when I come back in.

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