Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to recent comments from the Garda Commissioner at the AGSI conference in Killarney that the drugs trade is no longer confined to cities but has spread to provincial towns; if he has had discussions with the Garda Commissioner or Garda representatives regarding the spread of drugs to the provinces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18114/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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While I am not aware of the comments outlined concerning a spread of the drugs trade to provincial towns and such views were not included in his formal speech, it may well be that the Garda Commissioner made such comments in the course of the AGSI conference. While the drugs trade may be more pronounced in cities, I accept it is unrealistic to think it would be confined to the largest centres of population. This reality has been acknowledged through the national drugs strategy and the consequences arising from this situation are being addressed through the implementation of the strategy. In that regard, I am in regular contact with senior members of the Garda Síochána and my officials also have ongoing contact with members of the force.

All regional drugs task forces, RDTFs, have action plans in place and money has been allocated to the ten task forces to progress implementation of their plans this year. Funding will be increased on an incremental basis in line with the progress and capacity of the task forces over the coming years to achieve the full roll-out of these plans, which are estimated to have a full cost in the region of €12.2 million per annum. The premises initiative, which was originally designed to meet the accommodation needs of community-based drugs projects in local drugs task force areas, has been expanded to include the whole country.

Recent allocations under the young people's facilities and services fund illustrate the move towards a countrywide focus. This fund was established to assist in the development of preventative strategies and initiatives in a targeted manner through the development of youth facilities and services in disadvantaged areas where a significant drug problem exists or has the potential to develop. Up to now, the focus has been on the 14 local drug task force areas in Dublin, Cork and Bray, but Limerick, Waterford, Galway and Carlow have also been included for some service projects. The Deputy will be pleased to know that recently I allocated €2 million for the development of high quality youth facilities in Waterford and Carlow. The Department is also examining the possibility of including some more urban centres under this initiative.

Fieldwork for a new drug prevalence study will be carried out from late 2006 to mid-2007. Preliminary analysis will be undertaken in the months following, with a first report of national prevalence figures and trends expected in late 2007. With the base figures available from the original 2002-03 survey, the outcome of this work will give a more solid basis for assessing developments in the drugs trade.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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I am rather surprised that the Minister of State was not aware of the statement attributed to the Garda Commissioner and quoted in a national newspaper to the effect that the drugs problem was no longer confined to cities but had spread to provincial towns. In an earlier question I tabled, I provided the Minister of State with statistics showing that, as of last year, the national cocaine market is estimated to be worth €210 million. This represents a tenfold increase over four years, which is an horrific figure. In the earlier question, I also said that, according to Garda sources, networks have been smashed in a number of areas, including Portlaoise, Killarney, Meath, Skerries and Maynooth. I fail to understand how the Minister of State was not aware of this Garda information which has been published openly.

The Minister of State said that I was criticising his calmness. Calmness is a virtue but lack of urgency is the issue with which I have a problem. The public can see these statements and can also see what is happening in their local areas. It is about time the Government, including Ministers with an input into the drugs area, demonstrated the urgency the situation requires. An estimate of €5 billion worth of cocaine coming into the country between 1995 and 2004 is a serious matter. That is just cocaine, not to mention heroin, ecstasy or cannabis, which is still the most widely used drug.

We hear a lot of guff but the problem lies in the lack of an urgent and speedy roll-out of the necessary services to meet a rapidly worsening situation. I find it extraordinary that the Minister of State was not aware of that statement by the Garda Commissioner.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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There is nothing startling in what the Commissioner is reported to have said. I have said the same several times. In any case, the comment was not in his official speech of which I have a copy. He may well have said it in a newspaper interview but there is nothing terribly new about it. We all accept that illegal drugs have spread throughout the country. That is why we have regional drugs task forces and Garda drugs units in every division. It is also why every Garda division has a special drugs plan. All these initiatives are taking place and a fortune is being spent on them. Some €43 million has been allocated under the Department's Vote this year, which represents a 37% increase on 2005 and 60% on 2004. If the Deputy can find any such increase under any other departmental heading, he should tell me where it is.

Urgent action is being taken and nobody denies that. I am not just talking about the financial allocations, however. Approximately €25 million has been mainstreamed out of my Vote to other Votes, so we are spending about €70 million on projects that began at community level. The Health Service Executive spends more than that each year, not to mind the expenditure undertaken by the Department of Education and Science and the Garda Síochána.

A sum of €200 million per year is being spent in the fight against drugs. It is not all being spent on treatment or supply reduction. We are also spending a great deal on prevention and young people's facilities. The work of local drugs task forces is spreading and I am sure the Deputy is pleased with the money that was allocated to Waterford lately. Prevention is the key to this matter.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Now that the Minister of State has finally accepted that there are drugs in every village and town in the country and that we have a serious epidemic, does he believe that every Garda station should have a specific drugs unit or drugs squad? If gardaí are not present to tackle drugs specifically, it will be difficult to obtain results. Gardaí may deal with other crimes first and drug crime gets left to one side unless there is a specific drugs unit or drugs squad assigned to every Garda station. I am not talking about access to a drugs unit that can be summoned from Dublin but one based in every local Garda station to tackle drugs.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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I am interested in the Minister of State's claim that everything possible is being done. Does he agree the courses being conducted in my local area by the Balbriggan Awareness of Drugs group, which are parent to parent type courses, need to be promoted so parents who we need to become involved do so. All too often, those who are more likely to be aware of drugs come to find out more information rather than those who are in denial about the issue. What does the Minister of State suggest needs to be done to encourage involvement? Is funding going to that area? The Minister of State was not clear on this point when he referred to prevention.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister of State accept there is a crisis throughout the country with regard to drugs, which is the message that seemed to come from the Garda Commissioner at the conference? Does he accept we need to roll out services to deal with that crisis? Unfortunately, as in the past, young people are coming forward to look for help but services are not available in country areas. Will the Minister of State contact the Department of Health and Children and its Minister, and his own Department, with a view to rolling out these services? Does the Minister of State accept the services are needed and that it is disgrace we are not supplying help to those who seek it?

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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As a resident of a rural area, I know there has been an increase in the talk one hears about drugs and in the number of drug related prosecutions. We have had the introduction of remote control gardaí but there is now an added difficulty given that gardaí are being taken from rural areas. Does the Minister of State believe this loss of gardaí to bigger cities and towns is inversely proportional to the increase in drug problems in rural areas?

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Garda Síochána stresses that all members of the force are engaged in the effort against drug misuse. In addition, each division has a drugs plan and a drugs unit. It is for the Garda to manage its own resources. While many small stations might have only a couple of gardaí——

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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They are not specifically for drugs. It is not worth their while chasing that crime.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Each division has a drugs unit and a drugs plan. Gardaí have all the necessary resources. At the end of the year there will be 14,000 gardaí and while Members claim they are not based in their areas, they must be somewhere as they are on the payroll. Given last week's figures, we may soon be accused of being over-policed or a police state. The Garda Síochána insists that gardaí are dealing with the problem and that each division has its own plan.

To respond to Deputy Sargent, we are spending a lot on prevention.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Such as what?

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure Balbriggan was once upon a time under consideration for a local drugs task force. I have met people in Drogheda and Balbriggan who are doing good work. I am sure the groups there now come under the north-east drugs task force.

There are different levels. Much of the original strategy and local drugs task force plans dealt with people at disadvantaged level. There are other groups which comprise dedicated volunteers, including the Balbriggan group, which I met on a number of occasions. The voluntary side can do much work without the service being professionalised.

We are spending significant resources on prevention. Over 300 people, many of them youth workers, will be funded under the young people's facilities and services fund, mainly in disadvantaged areas. The clear message for years has been that there is no point telling young people not to get involved in drugs unless they can be pointed in the direction of other healthy pursuits, whether youth clubs or otherwise. Every euro spent on prevention more than pays for itself later.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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That is the theory.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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In response to Deputy Crowe, the services are being rolled out. Approximately €70 million per annum worth of services which began at local drugs task force level are now being rolled out. Over 600 people——

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Why are people coming to Dublin to ask for help for their children? It is because the services are not available locally.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The methadone service may not be available everywhere because it is for the HSE to set it up. However, it is being set up. There are approximately 8,000 people on methadone and some 450 of these are outside Dublin. A couple of years ago hardly any drug user outside Dublin was on methadone and those who wanted it had to come to Dublin. It takes time to get the local doctors on level 1——

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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The services are based in Dublin. They need to be rolled out in other areas.

Séamus Pattison (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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We must move to the next question.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The services are spreading to the Leinster towns but it takes time to train and upskill doctors who want to be at level 1 or level 2 to deal with drug users.