Results 1,721-1,740 of 4,700 for speaker:Noel Ahern

National Drugs Strategy. (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I do not know why we always concentrate on this fund when it is only a small part of our overall expenditure. If the Deputy is a member of a drugs task force, he will be aware of the good work they do. I am not a member of one, and I have not been able to be one for the past three years. I previously was a member of one, however, and I know the good work done locally by many good people. I...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy will be aware that I have outlined in the House on a number of occasions the reasons the Government decided to make changes to the dormant accounts scheme. In summary, these were to fully address governance and accountability issues and to provide for greater transparency in decision-making on disbursements. On 4 January 2006, I announced details concerning the allocation of €24...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I am aware of the college lifestyle and attitudinal national, CLAN, survey which was jointly carried out by the health promotion unit of the Department of Health and Children and NUI Galway in the 2002-03 academic year. A total sample of 3,259 students from universities and other third level institutions across Ireland was involved in the wide-ranging survey, where drugs was only one of many...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It is my view that a change in the law regarding the possession of cannabis, or a reclassification of the drug would be of no benefit whatsoever in tackling drug use here — in fact I think that it would aggravate the problem. While cannabis may not be as dangerous as some other drugs, the evidence is that it is damaging to the physical and mental health of the user, particularly the young...

Written Answers — Turasóireacht sa Ghaeltacht: Turasóireacht sa Ghaeltacht (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Táim cinnte go n-aontóidh an Teachta liom go bhfuil saibhreas cultúrtha ar leith fréamhaithe i dteanga na Gaeilge, an teanga is ársa san Eoraip ar an dtaobh thuaidh de Shléibhte na nAlp, ó thaobh labhartha agus scríofa de. Tá tábhacht ar leith leis an ilghnéitheacht teangacha don oidhreacht chultúrtha agus do shaibhreas coiteann an chine dhaonna sa saol atá inniu ann. Tá...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Funding of €1.46 million to promote volunteering has been allocated to 24 county-city development boards and to Údarás na Gaeltachta. The following table provides the details. In the case of areas where no allocation has yet been made my Department is in discussions with the relevant authorities with a view to allocating funds subject to their meeting the criteria involved. Volunteering...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 and 137 together. The working group on rehabilitation was established in September 2005 and includes representatives from a range of Departments and agencies involved in delivering rehabilitation services, as well as representatives from the national drugs strategy team, NDST, the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, NACD, and the community and voluntary...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Ten regional drugs task forces, RDTFs, have been established covering all parts of the country that are not already serviced by one of the 14 local drugs task forces. 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....

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: My Department requested the National Advisory Committee on Drugs to commission the fourth bulletin of the Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland 2002-2003 Drug Prevalence Survey dealing with cocaine use. I launched the report on 12 January of this year. This is the first time we have had such detailed baseline information available at a population level on issues such as regular use of...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 132 and 151 together. Disbursements from the dormant accounts fund are designed to assist three broad categories of persons: those who are socially or economically disadvantaged; those who are educationally disadvantaged; and persons with a disability. The Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005 provided for significant changes in relation to the...

Written Answers — Charities Legislation: Charities Legislation (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 153 together. The Law Reform Commission is an independent statutory body. Its Second Programme for Law Reform identified certain branches of the law for examination, including the law of charities. In that context, the Law Reform Commission took the initiative to prepare a Consultation Paper on Legal Structures for Charities, which was published on 16...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 131 together. While anecdotal evidence suggests that there has been an increase in the use of cocaine, I do not believe it has reached epidemic proportions. The 2002-03 national drug prevalence survey provides comprehensive baseline information on cocaine use in this country. It is intended that the fieldwork for the next drug prevalence study will be...

Written Answers — Voluntary Sector: Voluntary Sector (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Deputy will be aware of the volunteering package, which I announced in March 2005, and my replies to Questions Nos. 18, 34, 36, 53, 305 and 308 in March, April and June of last year relating to that initiative. This volunteering package is now in place and funding is continuing for the range of initiatives for the three year period from 2005 to 2007, including funding to the various...

Written Answers — Domestic Violence: Domestic Violence (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The code of practice on domestic violence was developed and adopted by projects funded by my Department under the community development programme. It emerged from the experience of projects in dealing with the issue of domestic violence. The code of practice has also been adopted for use by Family Resource Centres funded by the Family Support Agency. The code of practice provides a framework,...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: It is very difficult to quantify drug use by socio-economic group. However, the Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland 2002-2003 Drug Prevalence Survey contained some questions pertaining to such groups. The fourth bulletin of the drug prevalence survey, focusing on cocaine, was recently launched. This survey indicates that there is no association between socio-economic group and cocaine...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The figure of 3% for the number of people who had ever used cocaine is about average in terms of European figures. The national drugs awareness campaign, run by the health promotion unit of the Department of Health and Children, focused specifically on cocaine in 2004-05. Its well-received campaign sought to dispel the image that cocaine was a clean and safe drug with few detrimental...

Written Answers — Drug Seizures: Drug Seizures (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: I am aware of the provisional figure of €37 million from the Revenue Commissioners' customs service as the value of illegal drug seizures in 2005. This is a significant increase on the figure of €12.4 million for 2004 and it illustrates the continued success of the customs service in disrupting the flow of illegal drugs into this State. The fact that there were 1,223 such seizures further...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: Representatives of the community and voluntary sectors are currently engaged in all areas of the national drugs strategy. As the Deputy is no doubt aware, the community sector representative on the national drugs strategy team, NDST, has recently confirmed his intention to resign from the team. It will be open to the community sector to put forward a replacement representative. Meanwhile, the...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The Mid-Term Review of the National Drugs Strategy was published in June of 2005. This report was the culmination of a comprehensive review which included extensive consultation with Departments and agencies, the community and voluntary sectors and the public in general. The review was overseen by a steering group, chaired by my Department, and made up of representatives of the relevant...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (8 Feb 2006)

Noel Ahern: The National Advisory Committee on Drugs, NACD, and the Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit, DAIRU — Northern Ireland, commissioned the first drug prevalence survey in 2002-03, with the purpose of establishing the population prevalence of drug use in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The NACD and DAIRU are currently seeking expressions of interest from potential tenderers for a new...