Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. The strategy contains 100 individual actions to be implemented by a range of Departments and agencies and since it was launched in May 2001, considerable progress has been made in implementing the various actions.

In this regard, the Deputy should note that a progress report covering the first three years of the strategy up to mid-2004 will shortly be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The report has been compiled by my Department with input from the key stakeholders involved in the strategy.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The drug prevalence survey conducted by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, which published in October 2003, estimated the prevalence of drug use on a national basis. Although estimates were also produced in April 2004 for health board regions, estimates for the local drugs task force, LDTF, areas were not possible due to the small size of the samples in those areas. The Deputy should note that this issue has also been raised in the context of the mid-term review of the national drugs strategy which will be finalised over the coming weeks.

With regard to the effectiveness of the LDTFs, this issue is being examined in the expenditure review of the task forces, which is currently ongoing. The review is examining the outputs and as far as possible, the outcomes of the LDTF process and projects. It will also be looking at the issue of performance indicators and baselines in order to measure the work of the task forces.