Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 5: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on a combined approach to combating the problems associated with drugs and alcohol; the plans he has to integrate alcohol into the new national drugs strategy; the extent to which he is working with the working group on alcohol and drugs; when he expects to receive its final recommendations; the ways they will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24904/08]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Against the background of the formulation of a new national drugs strategy for the period from 2009 to 2016, I have an open mind, at this stage, on a combined approach to tackling the problems associated with drugs and alcohol. However, I favour exploiting the potential for synergies that exist in our current approaches. In considering the five pillars of the national drugs strategy, it is clear there are considerable existing and potential synergies in the approach to drugs and alcohol across the areas of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research. Given that alcohol is a legal and regulated substance, the potential for synergies in the supply reduction area is, as the Deputy will appreciate, more limited.

It is clear to me as a public representative, as Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy and as a father that people are increasingly exercised about the issue of alcohol use, and rightly so. I am sure the Deputy is all too familiar with issues such as under-age drinking, binge drinking leading to potential public order problems and the levels of excessive drinking generally with the resultant health problems. Alcohol is also seen as a gateway to the use of illicit drugs.

As the Deputy will be aware, a steering group was established earlier this year to develop proposals and to make recommendations to me on a new national strategy. The group, which is chaired by my Department, is conducting extensive consultations in this regard. Public meetings at 15 locations were held as part of the consultations and I attended the last three, following my appointment. At these meetings the question was posed as to whether synergies between alcohol and drugs policies can be improved, and whether a single substance misuse strategy is now appropriate in Ireland. Generally the response favoured developing the potential for greater synergies as much as possible, with mixed views on whether there should be a fully combined substance misuse strategy. However, the emphasis of attendees was on the need for a more co-ordinated approach, recognising the close links between the problems associated with drugs and alcohol, rather than on the details of the organisational and governance arrangements that might be put in place.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

My Department is also represented on the working group on alcohol and drugs which is chaired by the Department of Health and Children, and I am aware of its deliberations to date. I hope to receive the recommendations of this working group in the autumn at a stage when they can be considered in the context of the finalisation of proposals for a new national drugs strategy. Furthermore, my officials and I will meet the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Mary Wallace, next week to discuss the broad issues around the future approach to problems associated with alcohol and illicit drugs. I am committed to developing the optimum approach to tackling the problems of substance abuse in the coming years and any strategies to be put in place will be aimed at achieving this.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I congratulate the Minister of State on his recent appointment. Having listened to his reply, I am not sure that separating the misuse of alcohol is a good idea. Alcohol and drugs misuse are closely connected and it makes sense to have a co-ordinated approach to tackling the problems such misuse creates. What happened to the national alcohol policy that was introduced in 1996? Action 19 of the national drugs strategy indicated that the early use of alcohol and drugs by young people coming to Garda attention would be followed by community policing, and health and social services intervention in order that the problem of drug misuse could be diagnosed early and hopefully halted. Does the Minister of State believe this group has been effective in identifying young people at risk from alcohol and drug misuse, and providing early interventions? I believe social services have failed to provide the aftercare and have not intervened in many of these cases, something which needs to be addressed.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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The issue of having a single policy has attracted considerable interest. There would be one concern if we were to have a combined strategy for misuse. How do we structure it and are the existing services such as local drugs task forces adequately resourced to deal with it? Different people have different views, but the one message coming across loud at all the meetings was the point the Deputy made. Everybody acknowledges that alcohol is the gateway drug to illicit drug use. Our Department is represented on the working group on alcohol and drugs. It is chaired by the Department of Health and Children and is due to report to us shortly.

One final meeting that will be of critical importance and which is also part of our consultation for the next drug strategy will be between my Department and the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with responsibility for the alcohol strategy, Deputy Wallace, next week. From that meeting I can give Deputy Byrne some idea of how we are doing. However, since it falls under two different Departments, where we go with it is not totally my call. Whatever the final outcome, we need much closer relationships because there is no getting away from the point that alcohol is part of the drugs strategy. Whether there will be two stand-alone strategies or a single one is up for debate and there are mixed views on where to go. If Deputy Byrne wants, I will talk to her after that meeting next week.