Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Over 400 people a year are dying from drug addiction, and 40% of them are women. Tabor House Trust in Navan, County Meath, is involved in a proposal for a secondary addiction centre for women called Misneach, or courage, which it plans to develop on the Slane Road in Navan. The new centre, which will cater for 48 women in recovery from addiction per year, will change the lives of the clients and will lift young children from the pain, trauma, insecurity and chaos of living with addiction. It will be the first centre of its kind in Ireland for women. Tabor House has taken this project as far as it can. It has got planning permission and has acquired the site. The HSE has given the okay for it to cover the day-to-day running costs of the centre. I have written to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding capital funding and he has responded, stating that it is the remit of the Department of Health. Can the Taoiseach follow this up with both Departments to get capital funding approved as soon as possible for this badly needed addiction service? It was reported in newspapers the other day that people are calling out for addiction services across the country. This centre would the first of its kind for women in Ireland.

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