Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Sherlock for raising this issue and I welcome the opportunity to update the Seanad on this topic. Under the national drugs strategy, drug and alcohol task forces play an important role in co-ordinating drug and alcohol services in the community, based on an interagency partnership. I reassure the Senator that I am fully committed to the task force model. I recently addressed a conference on the role of task forces in responding to the needs of disadvantaged communities and tackling health inequalities, organised by the chairpersons’ network and hosted by the Department of Health. Last week, I published the strategic action plan for 2023-2024 under the national drugs strategy. It includes actions to address the social determinants and consequences of drug and alcohol use in disadvantaged communities. The task forces have a central role in delivering these actions.

I am also a strong supporter of the Government initiative to promote the social and economic regeneration of Dublin north east inner city. In 2022, the Department of Health allocated additional funding of €1.5 million to provide new health services for the local community. The Department of Health, through the City of Dublin Youth Services Board and the HSE, provides €2.2 million annually to community-based drug and alcohol services in conjunction with the north inner city task force. It is important there is effective and transparent governance of this funding by the task force.

The Department of Health and the HSE had been working with the task force to enhance its contribution to the NEIC initiative and to address governance issues identified in an independent review of services. In January 2021, the Department of Health and the outgoing chair agreed a process for selecting a new independent chairperson, in accordance with the task force handbook and with the assistance of a professional recruitment agency. Unfortunately, this process was not adhered to, leading to an impasse in the appointment of a new chairperson. The Department of Health sought to work with the task force leadership and membership to address governance concerns. However, it was not possible to resolve these concerns without the support of all parties. The outgoing chairperson resigned in September 2021, and in November the task force informed local services that it was no longer in a position to function.

The Department of Health has consulted members of the task force and other stakeholders on the next steps to establish effective, inclusive and transparent governance of the task force.This involved a series of meetings with public representatives, statutory and non-statutory members of the task force, front-line community and alcohol projects funded under the ambit of the task force, community and service user representatives, staff employed by the task force company, and other stakeholders. A report on the governance of the task force has been prepared, which I am now considering. I am committed to establishing effective, inclusive and transparent governance of the task force, informed by a review of developments to date and the consultation process. It is my intention to approve steps to reconstitute the task force shortly.