Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies. Deputy Cronin asked about the inner city drugs and alcohol task force. This ceased to function at the end of 2021 due to an impasse concerning the appointment of an independent chairperson and some other issues. The Government remains committed to tackling the drug and alcohol issues affecting the north inner city, in conjunction with community-based service providers, and has provided significant additional resources for drugs and alcohol services in the area and the Dublin north region. The Department, through the City of Dublin Youth Services board and the HSE, provides over €2.2 million annually to community-based drug and alcohol services to ensure continuity of funding to front-line services in the north inner city in the interim.

The Government is committed to establishing effective, inclusive and transparent governance of the task force in the north inner city. To this end, the Department of Health has engaged with stakeholders in the north inner city to establish effective, inclusive and transparent governance of the task force and the funding it allocates. The Department of Health has concluded consultations with members of the task force and other stakeholders on the next steps to re-establish the task force. This involves a series of meetings with public representatives, statutory and non-statutory members of the task force, front-line community and alcohol projects funded under the ambit of the task force, community and service user representatives, staff employed by the task force company and other stakeholders. I had a briefing on this from officials in the last week or so and I understand the report has been submitted for consideration to the Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, Deputy Naughton, on the next steps to achieve this goal. Some additional clarifications were sought. These clarifications have now been received and we expect a decision from the Minister of State to be announced in the very near future. We will of course inform Deputies McDonald and Donohoe and other Deputies once that is done.

Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of Drogheda, and I know from Deputy O'Dowd that a lot of progress has been made on the ground since the feud and the awful events that occurred a few years ago. A lot of good things are happening. Regarding the funding of the particular organisation, I will have to come back to the Deputy on that when I have chance to speak to the relevant Ministers.

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