Results 1,581-1,600 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

National Drugs Strategy. (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: I do not consider myself as having failed. We have provided enormous resources and there is much good work happening on the ground. We have not yet solved the problem, but we are providing many services under a range of headings. Good plans that come in will be considered, and some will get through.

National Drugs Strategy. (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: The fund is not there to deal with the Government's whole social inclusion programme. Some people in drugs task forces believe that every plan and measure should be brought forward. While I state that we spend approximately €50 million on projects that begin on local drugs task force level, the Department of Health and Children and the HSE spend more than that every year on treatment. There...

National Drugs Strategy. (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: There is a problem, with cocaine being an example. This is coming in from South America, mainly from Colombia, and I know the Deputy has some contacts there. We are trying to deal with that problem.

National Drugs Strategy. (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: I accept this situation is changing, evolving and moving all the time and we are dealing with it.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 69 together. As I have previously pointed out in the House, I do not accept that the publication of legislation to regulate charities has been subject to delay. In fact, it is only following the establishment of my Department in June 2002, and the setting up of a dedicated charities regulation unit in February 2003, that substantive moves began to be...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. It also has responsibility for the work of the local and regional drugs task forces as well as the young people's facilities and services fund. Through these initiatives, a range of voluntary and community groups are funded to tackle drug misuse in...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy may be aware, rehabilitation emerged as a key issue during the mid-term review of the national drugs strategy. The conclusion of the steering group overseeing the review, with which I agree, was that the strategy's rehabilitation provisions needed to be strengthened and expanded, particularly in light of the significant and ongoing expansion in treatment provision in recent...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, my Department operates a number of schemes designed to facilitate small voluntary groups including the programme of grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations. This programme offers two schemes of once-off grants to local community and voluntary organisations for equipment and refurbishment of premises and-or education, training and research grants....

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: I am aware of the recent launch by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, of the three-year statistics for its schoolmate drugs and alcohol pilot prevention programme as well the launch of the 4Me service and its information leaflets on drugs for parents and children. I welcome research in this area and what it can tell us about the causes of drug misuse. I note that, as...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: As part of the national drugs strategy, ten regional drugs task forces, RDTFs, have been established throughout the country. The RDTFs work in a partnership manner, similar to the local drugs task forces, and are made up of nominees from State agencies working in the region, the community and voluntary sectors and elected public representatives. At the outset, the RDTFs were involved in...

Written Answers — Departmental Projects: Departmental Projects (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, earlier this year I launched four pilot cocaine treatment projects to examine different methods of treatment for cocaine use, as well as a training initiative focusing on front-line workers. Funding of almost €400,000 was provided by me to support the pilot treatment projects and the training programme. The four projects deal with the following cohorts of cocaine...

Written Answers — Care of the Elderly: Care of the Elderly (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 83 together. The purpose of the scheme of community support for older people is to encourage and assist the community's support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. The scheme is administered by local community and voluntary groups with the support of my Department. The scheme provides...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 92 together. As the Deputies are aware, my Department has responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. Since the mid-term review of the strategy earlier this year, it contains 108 individual actions to be implemented by a range of Departments and agencies. In this context, I welcome the additional...

Written Answers — Drugs in Prisons: Drugs in Prisons (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: An Agreed Programme for Government contains a commitment to introducing mandatory drug testing for prisoners, where necessary, and to make treatment and rehabilitation available for those prisoners who need it. My colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, is currently working towards this objective. I can assure the Deputy that, in this context, there is...

Written Answers — Drug Abuse: Drug Abuse (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: The NACD-DAIRU drug prevalence survey is generally regarded as the most reliable baseline data on drug prevalence in Ireland. That study, which surveyed 8,442 people aged 15 to 64 years old in Ireland and in Northern Ireland between October 2002 and April 2003, reported that 3% of the respondents had used cocaine, 1.1% had used it in the last 12 months and 0.3% used in the last month....

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that decisions on the disbursement of funds from dormant accounts moneys in the initial round of funding are a matter for the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board. The board is an independent body established under the Dormant Accounts Acts. The board engaged Area Development Management Ltd., ADM, to administer the initial round of funding on its behalf. The...

Written Answers — Drug Abuse: Drug Abuse (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: The National Advisory Committee on Drugs, NACD, was established in July 2000 to advise the Government in relation to the prevalence, prevention, treatment and consequences of problem drug use in Ireland, based on the committee's analysis and interpretation of research findings and information available to it. Its membership reflects statutory, community, voluntary, academic and research...

Written Answers — Care of the Elderly: Care of the Elderly (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: To date, 175 applicant organisations have been approved for funding under the 2005 scheme of community support for older people. Payments have been made to 100 of those groups and I expect the payments to issue to the remaining groups over the coming days. I expect to approve funding to a further 80 organisations shortly and those payments will also issue over the coming days. A number of...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: The young people's facilities and services fund, YPFSF, was established in 1998 to assist in the development of facilities, including sport and recreational facilities, and services in disadvantaged areas where a significant drug problem exists or has the potential to develop. To date, approximately €90 million has been allocated to support in the region of 450 projects, primarily in local...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (30 Nov 2005)

Noel Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-08. It also has responsibility for the work of the local and regional drugs task forces as well as the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund. Through these initiatives, a range of community and voluntary groups are funded to tackle drug misuse...