Results 1,581-1,600 of 2,551 for speaker:Pat Carey

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: I very much welcome the publication of the Report of the Working Group on Drugs Rehabilitation. Since my appointment as Minister of State, I have consistently stressed my commitment to the implementation of the recommendations therein. I see the development of a comprehensive rehabilitation pillar in the National Drugs Strategy as being vital to the overall effort against problem drug use....

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: My Department provides funding to projects under the Community Development Programme. The Programme is designed to reduce social exclusion by targeting support at disadvantaged and socially excluded communities in order to improve their capacity to benefit from social and economic development. Under the Programme, funding of €23.947 million has been provided for 182 projects in 2007. The...

Written Answers — Regional Drugs Task Forces: Regional Drugs Task Forces (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 39 together. Ten Regional Drugs Task Forces (RDTFs) were established in 2003. Following extensive consultation processes, each RDTF prepared a Strategic Plan to respond to illicit drug use in their areas and the implementation of these Plans is now progressing. As one would expect at the plan development stage, expenditure was low in the early period...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: My Department operates a wide range of programmes and schemes supportive of communities both urban and rural and of local, community and voluntary groups. Details of the schemes and programmes operated by my Department are available on its website at www.pobail.ie. If the Deputy has specific questions about a programme I or my Department will be happy to offer further assistance.

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 122 together. The Scheme of Community Support for Older People is operated by my Department and provides funding to local community and voluntary groups who identify vulnerable older people over the age of 65 years in their communities and arrange for the installation of socially-monitored alarms and other items of psychical security equipment. Any...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: Twelve of the fourteen Local Drugs Task Forces are located in Dublin. The LDTF areas benefit from annual current funding under the Drugs Task Force process and the Emerging Needs Fund. Capital funding is available under the Premises Initiative Fund which addresses the accommodation needs of community based drugs projects. Details of the expenditure under these headings in 2005 and 2006 are...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: Community Development Projects are normally funded on the basis of three-year renewable contracts based on workplans submitted to the Department and endorsed by the relevant City or County Development Board. The funds provided by the Department contribute to the costs of employing two full-time equivalent employees, administrative expenses and overheads. The level of funding provided to...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 114 together. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department implements and funds a wide range of measures, schemes and programmes for the development and support of various communities, urban and rural. Details of these can be found on my Department's website www.pobail.ie. In relation to the provision of support to community based organisations in...

Crime Prevention. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: The widespread use of mobile phones in drug dealing is common knowledge and the issue was among those discussed when I recently met representatives of the Garda national drugs unit. As Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, I support any initiatives that inhibit illicit drug dealing and welcome the commitment in the programme for Government that all mobile...

Crime Prevention. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: Considerable difficulties remain to be overcome. I met representatives of the Irish Cellular Industry Association and the industry advisory board, as well as the Garda, and the view tends to be that while there is the potential to introduce restrictions, the experience in places where registers have been introduced, including Australia, is that the matter is fraught with difficulties. The...

Crime Prevention. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: The Department has made that statement and received advice from the Attorney General that it is a difficult issue. However, it has not given up. I have expressed the view that I would like the issue to be resolved as far as possible, working closely with the industry and seeking advice from the Garda and others.

Drug Use. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 13 and 14 together. The figures for direct drugs-related deaths are extracted from the general mortality register, which is compiled by the CSO. The latest year for which figures are available is 2004, when nine deaths were attributed to cocaine use. As it is considered that these figures do not give a full picture of the number of deaths linked to drug...

Drug Use. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: It is timely that we are addressing this issue today, in view of the findings just published by the Health Research Board on the abuse of alcohol. There is increasing anecdotal evidence of significant mixing of alcohol and other substances, such as cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines, ecstasy and so on. We are now getting to the stage where there is a problem with polydrug use. The fieldwork...

Drug Use. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: As for drug testing, I have discussed the issue with the Garda. Five or six devices are being pilot-tested at present to ascertain their utility in detecting substances other than alcohol or prescription medicines in the bloodstream. However, it will be some time before the results become available. While I am open to correction on this issue, I do not believe it was ever expected that the...

Drug Use. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: The fieldwork has been completed in recent weeks and the study is being written up at present. I hope to have it by the end of the year. As for the rehabilitation report and its recommendations, I met representatives of the HSE the other day and will meet the local and regional drugs task forces to ascertain how they are rolling out services. For example, the increase in the number of...

Drug Use. (1 Nov 2007)

Pat Carey: The regional drugs task forces are collating all such information in conjunction with the HSE. Many of the programmes to be rolled out will be operated in co-operation with rural general practitioners and community pharmacists. As for other schemes, issues pertaining to education and accommodation, as well as wider issues, must be addressed. Some parts of the country have less satisfactory...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 Oct 2007)

Pat Carey: Under the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund, applications for funding come through Development Groups in the designated areas and are submitted to the Fund's National Assessment Committee, which is chaired by my Department. I understand that, to date, the group in question has received capital funding of the order of €50,000 — in 2006/07. To date, no application has been made...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (23 Oct 2007)

Pat Carey: The organisation in question applied for funding under the Dormant Accounts measure supporting Jointly Funded Flagship Projects, for the purpose of extending and refurbishing the local parochial hall. The application process for this measure was managed by Pobal on behalf of my Department. The application was deemed ineligible and the organisation was informed of this decision on 1 May, 2007....

Written Answers — Care of the Elderly: Care of the Elderly (18 Oct 2007)

Pat Carey: My Department operates the Scheme of Community Support for Older People. The Scheme is open to people aged 65 and over who have a genuine need for assistance and is administered by local community and voluntary organisations throughout the country with support provided by my Department. Maximum individual grants are provided under the scheme as follows: €300 in respect of the once-off...

Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (18 Oct 2007)

Pat Carey: The Young People's Facilities & 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 existed or had the potential to develop. At the end of 2006, approximately €129m had been spent under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. This figure...