Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I welcome the opportunity to update the House on funding for community-based drug and alcohol services and acknowledge the role of Senator Seery Kearney as chairperson of the Dublin 12 drug and alcohol task force.

Senators may be aware that the Department of Health completed a mid-term review of the actions in the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, which, as Senators are aware, is a health-led response to drug and alcohol use. Based on the learning from the mid-term review, six strategic priorities for 2021-25 were identified. One such priority is to enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community. The priority seeks to enhance community care for people who use drugs by providing health and social care services at the community level to meet identified health needs. This will be supported through the development of a drugs services care plan formulated on the basis of the six new health regions agreed by the Government in 2019. A particular focus will be put on ensuring access to services for women, people in rural areas, ethnic minorities and the LGBTI+ community. This priority will consider models of care for people who use drugs and have comorbidities. It will also address the stigma linked to drug use and drug addiction and its impact on access and delivery of health services.

I am happy to inform the Seanad that, as the Senator outlined, in December 2021 I created a €2 million fund, namely, the community services enhancement fund, to enhance community-based drug and alcohol services. The fund supports the aforementioned strategic priority under the national drugs strategy for 2021-25. The Department also provides €28 million for 280 community-based drug and alcohol services annually.

Under section 39 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE provides financial assistance to organisations by means of a grant. Section 39 legally underpins the provision of services similar or supplementary to a service the HSE may provide. In October 2018, an agreement was reached by the parties at the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, in respect of a process of pay restoration for staff employed in section 39 organisations who met certain criteria, rather than the types of individual workers who are employed in them. Only organisations that received in excess of an agreed specified amount from the HSE by way of the service level agreement process were included. It must be acknowledged that section 39 organisations are privately owned and run and that their terms and conditions of employment, once in line with employment legislation, are strictly between the employer and the employee.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department developed a framework for the restoration and continuation of drug and alcohol services in a planned and appropriate manner in line with public health advice. To support the framework, the Department provided once-off funding of €480,000 in November 2020 for the restoration of drug and alcohol services, including the adaptation of services and premises, online meetings and personal protective equipment. The Department also provided an additional €2 million for residential drug and alcohol treatment services in 2021.