Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 288: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the expenditure by his Department by way of grant or other forms of aid to community or other groups involved in combating drugs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4741/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. In this context it has responsibility for the work of the local and regional drugs task forces and the young people's facilities and services fund. Through these initiatives a range of community and voluntary groups are funded to tackle drug misuse. To date, approximately €95 million has been allocated to implement approximately 440 projects under two rounds of local drugs task force plans; approximately €90 million has been allocated under the young peoples facilities and services fund to support in the region of 450 initiatives; a further €13.66 million has been allocated to projects under the LDTF premises initiative which is designed to meet the accommodation needs of community based drugs projects; and expenditure on the implementation of the new action plans of the regional drugs task forces commenced in 2005 and allocations totalling just under €5 million have been made to facilitate getting a range of projects up-and-running in the regions this year. I am pleased that my Department was allocated €34.027 million for the drugs initiative-young people's facilities and services fund in the Abridged Estimates Volume for 2006. This represents an increase of 8% on the allocation for 2005.