Results 1,061-1,080 of 2,551 for speaker:Pat Carey

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (6 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: Family support has been identified as a priority under the National Drugs Strategy and many drugs projects that are funded by my Department include such support as part of the wider range of services that they offer. Approximately 56 projects in Local and Regional Drugs Task Force areas focus particularly (but not exclusively in some cases) on family support issues, with an estimated annual...

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (6 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I am aware that Benzylpiperazine (BZP), a synthetic psychotropic substance, is for sale in certain shops and I have serious concerns over its safety. I understand that some users of such substances have reported a range of adverse reactions such as vomiting, headache, palpitations, poor appetite, stomach pains/nausea, anxiety, insomnia, mood swings, confusion, irritability and tremors. The...

Hospital Services. (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I will take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I extend my sincere sympathies to the family of the deceased at this most difficult time. The Department of Health and Children has been in contact with the Health Service Executive about this case. The HSE has advised that when it became aware of the death of the person...

Hospital Services. (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I will take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. My understanding is that the issues raised by the clinician in question relate in the main to the capacity of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, to manage the regional emergency workload within existing resources. The issues raised were brought directly to the...

Site Acquisitions. (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I am taking this matter for the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, who wishes to thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I will outline the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and the current position in regard to the purchase of a site in Gorey, County Wexford. At the outset, modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 731...

Special Educational Needs. (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current situation on Achieve ABA. The home tuition scheme was established to provide funding to parents for the education at home of children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: The Project referred to in the Deputy's question has been funded through the Community Development Programme since 1999. This Programme provides financial assistance to projects towards the staffing and equipping of local resource centres, which provide a focal point for community development activities and to other specialised community development projects and initiatives having a...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (12 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: My Department has commenced work on the development of the new National Drugs Strategy for the period 2009 — 2016. A Steering Group has been established to oversee the development of the Strategy and the first meeting of that Group was held on 10 January. The Group includes representatives from the key statutory, community and voluntary interests involved in tackling problem drug use....

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (12 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 397 together. As the Deputy is aware, under the Health Act 2004 the management and delivery of health and personal social services is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE, therefore, has statutory responsibility for the provision of drug treatment services. The majority of expenditure by my Department for drugs...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (13 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: The National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST) was set up in late 1996 to help co-ordinate a response to the drug problem. The NDST is a cross-sectoral Team, with representatives from Government Departments and Agencies and from the community and voluntary sectors. The main purpose of the NDST is: to ensure effective co-ordination in implementing the Government's National Drugs Strategy; to oversee...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (13 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: Local Drugs Task Forces (LDTFs) were established in 1997 in the areas considered to be experiencing the worst levels of opiate misuse. Twelve areas in Dublin — Ballyfermot, Ballymun, Blanchardstown, the Canal Communities, Clondalkin, Dublin North Inner City, Dublin South Inner City, Dublin 12, Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown, Finglas-Cabra, North East Dublin and Tallaght — were involved, as well...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (13 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: The National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) was established in July 2000 under the auspices of the Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation. Since June 2002, the NACD operates under the auspices of this Department. The mandate of the NACD has been extended to July 2008 to coincide with the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. Further information on the NACD, and its comprehensive array...

National Drugs Strategy. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: My Department has commenced work on the development of the new national drugs strategy for the period 2009 to 2016. I have established a steering group, comprising representatives of the key statutory, community and voluntary interests involved in tackling problem drug use, to make recommendations on a new strategy to me as the responsible Minister. The first meeting of the steering group...

National Drugs Strategy. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: With regard to the publication of the drugs strategy, the public consultation process and the evaluation, by consultants, of the strengths and weaknesses of the current drugs strategy should be completed by the end of July. I estimate that approximately 30 meetings will take place, in various parts of the country with different interest groups. The draft strategy will then be discussed by...

National Drugs Strategy. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I will convey to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Deputy's wish that a more open system for the disposal of drugs is put in place. The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, the Taoiseach and I attended a meeting of the British-Irish Council this morning, which was held in the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. Attending were...

National Drugs Strategy. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: I welcome the major drugs find in County Kildare, to which the Deputy refers, and congratulate the Garda Síochána on the seizure. I also welcome the recent overall significant level of drugs seizures and associated arrests made by the Garda. I understand that the recent Garda successes are directly attributable to increased law enforcement at all levels, through intelligence-driven...

National Drugs Strategy. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: The matter of safehouses to which Deputy Wall referred is of serious concern. In that regard and in respect of other matters, we have been engaging with the Garda at the interdepartmental committee on drugs and elsewhere. The Garda and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform are represented at the former, which I chair. The most effective system of policing is the...

National Drugs Strategy. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: Without pre-empting the next strategy, I thank Deputy Wall for raising this matter because more attention must be paid to the arc to which he refers — the Drogheda-Navan-Arklow area. I call them the new commuter towns, those that are within 50 km of Dublin city. The resources provided, including community policing, which has been a significant factor in bettering the situation in areas...

Drug Treatment Programmes. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: At 31 December 2007, a total of 8,595 people were recorded on the central methadone treatment list prepared by the Drug Treatment Centre Board. This is the national register of those in receipt of methadone and records the number in treatment nationwide. The register covers the four Health Service Executive regions, including those in treatment in prisons and directly through the Drug...

Drug Treatment Programmes. (14 Feb 2008)

Pat Carey: To a certain extent, the Deputy almost answered the question she raised. We need to establish a variety of treatment options which are appropriate on medical grounds. Methadone should not be a life sentence and options should be available to allow people to leave the programme. These options include detoxification and medical alternatives such as suboxone and naloxone currently under...