Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Again, in the very short time I have, I think it is important first of all to deal with the bigger picture. In July 2017, CityWide wrote to the Taoiseach indicating its welcome of the Government's commitment to maintaining and building on the key principles of inter-agency partnership and community participation, but the experience in the intervening two years, as I have already put on the record in my opening contribution; is simply not ticking the box. It is a very serious matter. We need to ensure that the structures in place are working to ensure that communities have a real voice in the decision-making process. Any examination of the facts would demonstrate that that is not the situation that has applied over the past couple of years.

In relation to the CDA Trust in Cavan and Monaghan, it is very important to recognise that as we enter the fourth quarter of 2019, the situation is that the quarterly allocation of funding to the CDA Trust has not yet presented, with the result that it has to try to exist on an overdraft arrangement until such time as the fourth quarter moneys are released. I could go into it in greater depth with the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, but I am telling him what the factual position is, and it is intolerable. It is also intolerable that the trust's returns in relation to quarterly activity and expenditure reports that have been presented to the North Eastern Regional Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, NERDATF, in good time are not compatible with the HSE's own assessment of these matters, with the result that there is duplication in the work to be undertaken in terms of administration and oversight, rather than in front-line provision of real care and supports for those who need it most.

Despite the reply that has been read into the record by the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, and that whatever hand the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, has had in its construction, it is not reflective of the reality of the current crisis situation that we face in Cavan and Monaghan.

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