Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on extending the drugs task force area; the position regarding the work of the drugs task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10804/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department oversees the work of the 14 local drugs task forces, 12 of which are in Dublin with the others in Cork and Bray, which were established in the areas experiencing the highest levels of drugs misuse, as well as the ten regional drugs task forces in the areas not covered by local drugs task forces. Thus, all parts of the country are serviced by a drugs task force.

Local drugs task forces, LDTFs, are well established and have been operating for almost ten years. The LDTFs have prepared two rounds of local action plans and these include a range of measures relating to treatment, rehabilitation, education, prevention and curbing local drug supply. The LDTFs are currently implementing the second round of those plans at an annual cost of approximately €16 million. In addition, the LDTFs provide a mechanism for the co-ordination of services in these areas, while at the same time allowing local communities and voluntary organisations to participate in the planning, design and delivery of services. They are designed to complement, and add value to, the extensive range of interventions being delivered through the State agencies.

Additionally, progress has been made by the regional drugs task forces, RDTFs, which were established in 2003, in the development of their action plans. A sum of €5 million has been allocated to the ten RDTFs to progress implementation of those plans for 2006. I envisage that funding will be increased on an incremental basis over the coming years to achieve the full roll out of these action plans, which are estimated to have a full cost in the region of €12.2 million per annum.