Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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I am grateful to be given the opportunity to speak on this issue, which is a concern for many people in the Finglas area. The Finglas Addiction Support Team, FAST, works tremendously hard in partnership with participants, their families and communities to create a more inclusive society in Finglas and to ensure participants become active citizens in the context of their own well-being and that of their local community. I had the pleasure of meeting the FAST team at its centre last year and getting the chance to talk to those involved. It gave me a great insight into the work it does on a daily basis to help people in the Finglas area who are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction.

In April 2013, the Dublin North Addiction Service commenced a cross-task force pilot initiative.

This initiative, known as the community alcohol response and engagement, CARE, pilot project was rolled out on a phased basis across three task forces - Finglas, Ballymun and the regional task force - between September 2014 and June 2015. Under the CARE initiative, FAST made an application in 2014 for the funding for the appointment of two clinical nurses for the centre. These appointments would go a long way in helping the centre achieve its goals and its vision for those who benefit from the great work from this centre and in general, the Finglas area.

I fully appreciate that the Department and the HSE have an obligation to remain within their respective allocated budgets. However, it has now been three years since FAST made the application for these positions. Every year it receives the same response that these posts will be kept under review for Estimates for the following year's budget and every year they are kept waiting.

Having studied the three-year strategic plan for FAST from 2014 to 2016, some of the findings relating to the profile of the Finglas community are concerning and as a public representative for Finglas I feel the Government can be doing more to ensure services such as FAST are funded adequately.

I hope I can be in a position to go back to residents and service providers in the area and say that the Government is working for areas such as Finglas and for its residents. However, the Government needs to be aware of the barriers that are in place to tackle the issues that are occurring in disadvantaged areas, such as Finglas, which are faced with drug use, violence and incidents of suicide. While, indeed, these incidents are not limited to Finglas and affect many communities in the north Dublin area, the fact is that FAST as a service is based in Finglas, FAST needs these resources and FAST is not getting these resources.

The funding by the Department through the HSE for the appointment of these positions would go a long way to helping people in this area. It would also be a positive message from the Government that it has not forgotten about those living in these areas, and to the hard working service providers who work day in, day out and who are trying to enact positive changes within these communities.

While I appreciate that the Minister of State is working within limited budgetary constraints, I ask her and the Department to reflect on the fact that this request has been there since 2014 and has been deferred consistently year on year, and yet the need is no less great now than it was then.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive has provided the Department with an update regarding the funding for the appointment of two clinical nurses for the Finglas Addiction Support Team through the Community Alcohol Response and Engagement, CARE, initiative.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the general manager for social inclusion and addiction in the Dublin north city has approved this programme. It is seen as a vital issue in combatting a community alcohol response. The two clinical nurse specialists will operate covering Finglas-Cabra, Ballymun and the regional task force area of Swords, Balbriggan and Howth.

Finglas Addiction Support Team will work in partnership with Ballymun action project and also the community care programme in Swords. This inter-agency approach will be a part of a clinical governance structure led by the Health Service Executive's director of nursing.

This Government is committed to tackling alcohol misuse in Ireland and the widespread harm and pain it causes. Alcohol is causing significant damage across the population, in workplaces and to children, and carries a substantial burden to all in society.

The Health Service Executive provides services to prevent and treat addiction to alcohol. Those who present for alcohol addiction treatment are offered a range of interventions namely, initial assessment, comprehensive assessment, the Minnesota programme, brief intervention, individual counselling, self-help, peer support or a combination of these. The delivery of these services is based on the four-tier model of treatment intervention and services are designed to respond to the individual's specific identified needs.

This care model implies that clients should be offered the least intensive intervention appropriate to their need when they present for treatment initially. Interventions range from community and family based supports, to primary care services through to specialist support services in either the community or residential settings.

Inter-agency working between the HSE, drug task forces and multiple other community, statutory and voluntary agencies form the basis of this delivery as the target is to provide services where possible in a community environment.

Counselling and rehabilitation services provide care to those presenting with an addiction through one-to-one counselling and onward referral to other statutory and voluntary groups where appropriate. The HSE also provides funding to a number of voluntary service providers which treat drug and alcohol addictions.

The Dublin North City and County Addiction Service commenced a cross task force pilot initiative in April 2013. This initiative, known as the Community Alcohol Response and Engagement, CARE, pilot project was rolled out on a phased basis across three task forces - Finglas, Ballymun and the regional task force - between September 2014 and June 2015. A review of this pilot project was published in September 2015.

CARE aims to provide a comprehensive treatment service for adults over 18 years presenting with a full range of alcohol related problems, to include brief intervention, information and education, one-to-one key working and motivational group programmes.

It is essential to have a public health policy response which seeks to reduce the number of people engaged in the harmful use of alcohol. The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill contains a package of measures aimed at reducing alcohol consumption in Ireland to 9.1 litres per person per annum - the OECD average in 2012 - by 2020, and to reduce the harm associated with alcohol.

The Bill, along with other measures, will bring about a cultural shift in how we view and consume alcohol. As a consequence, we will see an improvement in both the physical and mental health well-being in the population. The Bill commenced Committee Stage in the Seanad on 26 October 2016, and will resume in this session of the Oireachtas.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Bang on time. I thank the Minister of State. There are two minutes to conclude for Deputy Rock.

Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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First, it is rather impressive that the Minister of State managed to land it bang on time. She must have rehearsed the timeline for that speech.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy got a positive answer.

Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her sustained and consistent commitment to this work. Since she was appointed as a junior Minister she has given this sustained focus. It also speaks positively for the Government's priorities that she has done so.

In terms of the answer itself, it is very positive. I would be glad to report that back to FAST.

I would appreciate if the Minister of State might be able to follow-up in the future with a few practicalities in relation to the recruitment dates and when this service will be on-stream. That would be helpful and beneficial.

Specifically on FAST, the reply addresses my question. Also in the broader sense we can see a lot of the work the Minister of State and the Department are doing and that they are working with different agencies to achieve. I am grateful for that.

I very much welcome the answer and I thank the Minister of State.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I certainly will follow-up on the recruitment dates and any other information the Deputy thinks might be necessary to move staff into place. I will do that as soon as tomorrow.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stát agus leis an Teachta. I can see they are two very happy Deputies.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Deputy Rock is elated.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I hope Deputy Ó Broin has as much happiness.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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I am not so sure I can sustain this level of happiness.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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We will see.