Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach knows, over the past two years my party leader, Deputy McDonald, and others have been raising the alarm about the decision by the Department of Health to effectively shut down the north inner city drugs and alcohol task force. It is a mystifying move given the task force is so badly needed. Unfortunately, the Taoiseach's most recent written response on this to Deputy McDonald simply repeats a narrative that is just not accurate and with which no progress has been made over the last two years. All the while, people are suffering. The North Inner City Community Coalition wrote to the Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy last month and to the official in the Taoiseach's own Department who is responsible for this initiative. The coalition was at pains to point out that this shut-down was completely unacceptable and highlighted its members' credentials in this matter since the task force model was first developed and put in place there over 25 years ago. They are the experts with the lived experience as a community. They should be heeded. They are giving their expertise to make sure things in their community work better. Deputy McDonald and others have long outlined the wrongs and listed the failures by the Department of Health in its attitude and actions on the task force. This wrongdoing is also damaging the great work of the north-east inner city initiative and its long-term mission in the community. What is needed now is meaningful action and intervention from the Taoiseach and from his Department. It needs to be the right action. He can act to end this impasse. Will he do it?

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