Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 396: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the drug treatment and support services in receipt of public money in Waterford. [5172/08]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 397: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will make a statement detailing the breakdown of funding to drug treatment and support services in Waterford each year for the past five years. [5173/08]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 397 together.

As the Deputy is aware, under the Health Act 2004 the management and delivery of health and personal social services is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE, therefore, has statutory responsibility for the provision of drug treatment services. The majority of expenditure by my Department for drugs initiatives is channelled through 14 Local Drugs Task Forces (LDTFs), 10 Regional Drugs Task Forces (RDTFs) and 18 urban areas included under the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund (YPFSF). The South East RDTF covers Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary SR, Waterford and Wexford. Specific allocations are not made on a county basis, rather each RDTF produced a strategic plan to deal with problem drug use for the region involved.

With regard to Co. Waterford, under the South East RDTF action plan allocations have been approved to date in 2008 for 7 Education & Prevention projects and 2 Treatment & Rehabilitation projects specifically relating to the county. Details of the 2008 allocations are contained in Appendix 1, as well as of expenditure from 2005 to 2007 on such projects in Waterford. Funding commenced in 2005 with the start of the implementation of the action plan for the region. Some of the other South East RDTF projects would provide benefit broadly across the whole region, including Waterford.

Allocations to Waterford over the past five years under the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund (YPFSF) are shown in Appendices 2 and 3.