Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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This matter relates to funding in respect of two projects providing drug addiction services in County Wicklow. The matter was brought to my attention by Sinn Féin's local councillor in the area, Councillor Eamon Long, who has been in contact with both groups to ensure that the information I read into the record today is correct and factual.

The Bara Project and Treo Nua are two community projects run by the County Wicklow Community Addiction Service which meet the support needs of drug users and recovering addicts in the east County Wicklow area, including Greystones, Enniskerry, Roundwood, Laragh, Rathdrum, Newtownmountkennedy, Newcastle, Kilcoole, Rathnew, Ashford, Wicklow Town, Aughrim, Avoca, Arklow, Carnew, Tinahelly and Shilleagh.

The Bara Project provides vital supports to people suffering addiction and to their families including advocacy, one-to-one supports, addiction counselling, holistic therapies, drug education programmes, onward referral, Prison Links work, and information and advice on drugs, drug use and related health promotion. Since opening in January 2007, the Bara Project has provided support services to 348 individuals or families, a huge number given the rural nature of the areas listed.

Treo Nua is a rehabilitation project that provides vital support services, in the form of a structured day programme, to those stable or drug-free. Although only established in January of this year it is already dealing with 35 referrals on an ongoing basis. This is likely to be a fraction of the real level of need in the area which will become increasingly visible as the projects become better established.

The Bara Project and Treo Nua have been informed in writing that their budgets are to be reduced respectively from €259,648 in 2008 to €150,000 in 2009, a €109,000 reduction and from €474,585 in 2008 to €381,000 in 2009, a reduction of €93,000. In 2007, the combined projects received a budget of €809,110. In 2008, that was reduced to €734,228 and now it is being further reduced to €531,500. That is a reduction of more than €277,000 in two years. The implications of those cuts are devastating. The staff cuts will mean that the numbers who can access the support services will be reduced. Funding for the Bara Project is set to be cut by 37.5%. A staff post will be lost, which means that some of those people seeking support to address their addiction will have to be turned away. Likewise Treo Nua will lose one and a half staff posts, as its funding is cut by 42%, so it will not be able to meet the support needs that exist among ex-drug users.

The bottom line is that one cannot meet the growing needs arising from the drugs crisis with fewer services. What rationale can the Minister provide for the sweeping cuts? The size of the cuts means they cannot be absorbed through technical efficiency manoeuvres or through expansion freezes. They mean one thing only, namely, service reduction. The implications of this budgetary decision for service users, their families and the wider community have been given zero consideration.

The Government talks tough on drugs but it is all talk. Here is the evidence. The full cost of the drugs crisis to society must be recognised. Those costs are human, social and economic. They include overdoses, road deaths, hospital stays, policing and prison costs, absenteeism from work, social welfare payments, related crime, intimidation and the existence of an extensive criminal underworld. The Government must invest in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Cuts are not the way forward, as the delivery of services cannot take place. The two services to which I referred are doing great work but they were only beginning to address some of the problems in the east Wicklow area. What they got in return for that is a kick in the teeth.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Problem drug use remains one of the key challenges facing Irish society today. Through the implementation of the actions in the national drugs strategy and the projects and initiatives operated through the local and regional drugs task forces, the problem is being addressed and the hardship caused to individuals and society is being alleviated.

The Government has been, and remains, firmly committed to tackling the problem of drug misuse in society. That is evidenced by the fact that between 2003 and 2008, there was a doubling of funding targeted at community-based initiatives funded through the Vote of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, from €31.5 million to more than €64 million.

This is an opportunity to reiterate the importance of the work of the local and regional drugs task forces, with regard to community based activities and projects. Local drugs task forces, LDTFs, were established in 1997 in the areas considered to be experiencing the worst levels of opiate misuse and are an important element of the Government's overall response to tackling drag misuse. Twelve areas in Dublin were identified as well as Cork city. Bray was subsequently added in 2000 as an LDTF.

The ten regional drugs task forces, RDTFs, were set up in 2003, covering all parts of the country not covered by an LDTF and thus achieving full coverage of the country. Following extensive consultation processes, each RDTF prepared a strategic plan and the implementation of those plans is now progressing. The work of the task forces is an important element of the overall national drugs strategy and their role is to prepare and implement local action plans. Those plans identity existing and emerging gaps in services in regard to each of the pillars of the strategy and support a range of measures including treatment, rehabilitation, education, prevention and curbing local supply.

In addition, the task forces provide a mechanism for the co-ordination of services and strategies in those areas while, at the same time, allowing local communities and voluntary organisations to participate in the planning, design and delivery of those services. The measures being implemented by the task forces are designed to complement and add value to the range of interventions being delivered through the State agencies. Membership of the task forces include representatives of all the relevant agencies such as Departments, the Health Service Executive, the Garda Síochána, the Probation and Welfare Service, the relevant local authority, elected public representatives, the Youth Service, FÁS, voluntary agencies and community representatives.

Across the 14 LDTF areas, more than 440 community-based projects, including those under the emerging needs fund, have been established employing more than 300 people. The type of projects being supported range from delivering services such as advice and support for drug misusers and their families, community drug teams offering treatment, outreach and crisis intervention services and drug training programmes for community groups.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Can I interrupt the Minister of State?

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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There is no provision for that.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to ask the Minister to put the last five paragraphs on the record because he will not reach them and they are the only ones that reply to the question.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate Deputy Ó Snodaigh's advice. That is what I was going to do. A lot of information is provided in the script that may be of use to Members in their work dealing with the drugs issue.

I will turn to the east coast regional drugs task force. In terms of funding, across Government, we have had to take a range of difficult decisions, but our approach has been to do it in as balanced a way as possible. We are all faced with difficult decisions in the current economic circumstances, especially in the short term.

This year, the budget for community-based initiatives in the local and regional drugs task force areas, including funding for new cocaine and rehabilitation measures introduced during the year, will reach approximately €34.8 million. Funding for 2009 is approximately €34.6 million, which is a minor reduction of 0.5% on the 2008 allocation from the Department.

While it is accepted that there may be some additional costs for projects going into 2009, all task forces, including the ECRDTF, are being asked to identify savings across their area of responsibility. I understand there will be some difficult choices to make but these are challenging times economically and we must all work together to minimise the impact on front-line services. It will be a matter for all the drugs task forces to identify measures to enable them to work within their allocated budgets and decisions on the 2009 allocations for any individual projects in this case with regard to the east coast RDTF. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs will continue to liaise with the task forces, other relevant agencies and the national drugs strategy team in the months ahead to ensure the continued operation of vital services in disadvantaged areas most affected by drug misuse.

It should be noted also that the drugs strategy is based on a co-ordinated effort across many Departments and agencies and that the Department's allocation is only part of a much bigger investment programme in drugs services by those other bodies. In 2007, it was estimated that expenditure on drugs programmes across all the bodies was in the region of €230 million. I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for raising the matter.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Nollaig shona.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Happy Christmas to Deputy Ó Snodaigh.