Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State's response really sums up the problem. That is not personal but the problem is summed up in the fact that it is the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, giving the response rather than the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and the fact that the major thrust of the answer relates to justice, gardaí, extra resources and so on. This approach is not working. The crisis is getting worse. Those on the front line, who are playing a crucial role in helping a great many individuals with their problems, in helping to get free of drugs and in improving our communities, are not getting the support they need. There is a crisis with regard to funding. There have been cuts in direct funding and staff funding. Occasionally these services can get one-off funding for pilot programmes. If they then find the pilot programme works and want to keep it running, they cannot get more funding and have to try to get it from somewhere else.

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