Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if, in view of recent research findings showing that spending on alcohol here is the highest per capita in Europe, the national drugs strategy will be altered to reflect this dangerous reliance on this drug. [22782/06]

Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on whether or not alcohol use and abuse should be considered as part of the national drugs strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22757/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 71 together.

My Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. This Strategy contains 108 individual actions, under the four original pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research, with rehabilitation added as a fifth pillar. The various actions fall to be implemented by a range of Departments and Agencies.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Alcohol Policy is the responsibility of the Tánaiste, Mary Harney T.D., Minister for Health and Children, who is pursuing a number of initiatives in this area. The National Drugs Strategy calls for increased links between both policies in terms of cross-representation on the relevant committees and working groups to ensure complementarity between the different measures being taken. This is being done on an on-going basis. Also, the intertwining of the use alcohol and drugs is acknowledged in the context of polydrug use generally.

There are no plans at present to merge the alcohol and drugs policies. This could involve a broadly common approach to tackling issues around legal and illegal substances where different policy responses may be required. However, this issue was raised previously during the consultation process of the Mid-Term Review of the National Drugs Strategy and there is scope for reviewing the situation as it evolves.