Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Members will be fully conversant with the background to the establishment of local drugs taskforces, LDTFs, as a result of the Rabbitte report. Staff were seconded to the task forces from the health boards and development workers and other staff were recruited. At the end of the first round, some projects were mainstreamed into Departments and Government agencies. That is the point at which the anomalies began to arise. The situation has developed in that regional drugs taskforces, RDTFs, are in place throughout the country. An attempt has been made to ensure the anomalies which arose in the early days are not replicated.

LDTFs were established in 1997 in the areas considered to be experiencing the worst levels of opiate misuse and are an important element of the Government's overall response to tackling drug misuse. Twelve areas in Dublin were identified and Cork city and Bray were added in 2000. The work of the LDTFs is an important element of the overall national drugs strategy. Their role is to prepare and implement local action plans which aim to identify existing and emerging gaps in services in respect of each of the pillars of the strategy and to support a range of measures for treatment, rehabilitation, education, prevention and curbing local supply. In addition, the LDTFs provide a mechanism for the co-ordination of services and strategies in these areas while at the same time allowing local communities and voluntary organisations to participate in the planning, design and delivery of services. The measures being implemented by the LDTFs are designed to complement and add value to the range of interventions being delivered through State agencies.

Membership of the LDTFs comprises representatives of all the relevant agencies, including Departments, the Health Service Executive, the Garda Síochána, the probation and welfare service, relevant local authorities, elected public representatives, the youth service, FÁS, voluntary agencies and community representatives. More than 440 community based projects, including those under the emerging needs fund, have been established across the 14 LDTF areas, with employment of more than 300 people. The type of projects being supported range from delivering services such as advice and support for drug misusers and their families, community drug teams offering treatment, outreach and crisis intervention services and drug training programmes for community groups. The 2008 current allocation for the LDTFs is €22 million and they can also avail of capital funding under the premises initiative.

The ten RDTFs were set up in 2003 to cover all parts of the country not covered by an LDTF and thus achieving full coverage of the country. Following extensive consultation processes, each RDTF prepared a strategic plan and the implementation of these plans is now progressing. With the increased level of activity at RDTF level, I am satisfied that drug task forces are making considerable progress across the country in regard to the problems of illicit drugs.

My Department has started taking the initial steps that will lead to the drafting of a new national drugs strategy for the period 2009-16. I have established a steering group comprising representatives of the key statutory, community and voluntary players to make recommendations to me on a new strategy. Its work will include extensive consultation with various interested parties and the public at large. Advertisements appeared in yesterday's national newspapers inviting submissions on the scope and direction of the new strategy by 4 April. However, we will be happy to accept submissions from organisations subsequent to that date. I encourage Members and everyone else with an interest in this area to take the opportunity over the coming months to make an input into the new strategy.

All the LDTFs have undertaken a strategic review and planning process which is a stocktaking exercise on the needs to be addressed in their areas. This process will help to form a view as to the extent to which current service provision meets the identified needs under the pillars of the NDS, inform partnership-collaborative working for the delivery of essential local services and determine future priorities. In this way, the knowledge, experience and expertise of the LDTFs will continue to be acknowledged and will help shape the national drugs strategy 2009-16.

I turn to the issue the Senator raised. My Department has been working closely with the Department of Finance, IMPACT, the local drugs task force in question and other project representatives and liaising with the national drugs strategy team on the salary adjustment process for workers on interim funded LDTF projects.

A productivity, flexibility, modernisation and verification template has been agreed by all the parties I mentioned. Adjusted scales, payment of arrears and application of the Towards 2016 increases that may become due in March and September 2008 are conditional on the template being signed up to by each interim funded project.

The template identifies four areas to be delivered on by the projects, such as quality service delivery covering, among others, measures such as agreeing and implementing a customer charter and a customer complaints procedure. Under performance management, job descriptions, key competencies and objectives with target dates and performance measurement indicators would be drawn up with a commitment to increased flexibility in regard to working arrangements. The effectiveness audit and value for money element relate to a process of ongoing review of services delivered to confirm their continued relevance to customer needs and whether they represent the best use of resources. Promote Partnership Working promotes working across agencies and projects to better meet the needs of the customers.

The LDTF in question has completed the template. In association with the Department of Finance and the NDST, my officials are examining the arrears claims for the workers involved and when they are satisfied the information provided is in order, the appropriate payments will be processed. I expect this process to be finalised shortly.

A number of other issues arise in the context of the way this process has developed over the past ten years or so. Not all of them are at the stage of final resolution. The national drugs strategy team, the officials in my Department and in the Department of Finance and the union concerned are extremely anxious to reach a solution in respect of all the outstanding matters. I am very committed to ensuring they are resolved. We will not be in a position to roll out the next phase of the strategy unless outstanding issues, such as this, are put to bed.

The Senator referred to the HSE and other organisations in which projects have been mainstreamed. I do not want to anticipate difficulties but I do not anticipate an easy resolution to some of the issues. In so far as we can, we will be able to resolve most of them.