Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will provide an update on the work of the working group to develop a policy for the provision of integrated rehabilitation services under the aegis of the national drugs strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36939/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, rehabilitation emerged as a key issue during the mid-term review of the national drugs strategy. The conclusion of the steering group overseeing the review, with which I agree, was that the strategy's rehabilitation provisions needed to be strengthened and expanded, particularly in light of the significant and ongoing expansion in treatment provision in recent years. Accordingly, the report of the steering group recommended that rehabilitation become the fifth pillar of the strategy. To progress this, it was further recommended that a working group, under the aegis of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, be established to develop a strategy for the provision of integrated rehabilitation services.

This group has been established and includes representatives from a range of Government Departments and agencies involved in delivering rehabilitation services as well as the national drugs strategy team, NDST, the national advisory committee on drugs, NACD, and representatives from the community and voluntary sectors. The group is examining the provision of existing rehabilitation services in Ireland and will seek to identify existing best practice as well as gaps in current services. The final report of the group will recommend actions to develop an integrated rehabilitation service.

The group has met formally three times to date and its fourth meeting is being held today. In addition, the group has held two days of consultation meetings with various stakeholders and experts in the field of rehabilitation, and other stakeholders and experts have been invited to meetings of the group. It is hoped that the working group will complete its report by the end of the year and that its recommendations will be considered by the inter-departmental group on drugs and the Cabinet committee on social inclusion early in 2006.