Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 331: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason for the delay in publishing the new national drugs strategy; and when he expects this to happen. [6334/09]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 333: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will include the problem of alcohol abuse under the remit of the local drugs task forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6336/09]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 331 and 333 together.

Work on the development of the new National Drugs Strategy to cover the period 2009 — 2016 has been ongoing in my Department throughout 2008 and is continuing as a priority in 2009.

The Steering Group, established to develop proposals and to make recommendations to me on the new Strategy, is chaired by my Department and is meeting regularly — in fact almost weekly for past number of weeks — as they work towards finalising their proposals.

As the Deputy will be aware, an extensive consultation process was undertaken last year on the new Strategy. The outcomes of these discussions are being used by the Steering Group as the basis for much of their deliberations. I can report that significant progress has been made on a number of areas and I expect to receive proposals and recommendations from the Steering Group by the end of March.

With regard to the question of alcohol, the Steering Group is conscious of the need to target alcohol in the context of developing a broader prevention strategy to tackle substance misuse, particularly in relation to under 18 year olds. They are also aware of the potential synergies in areas such as treatment and rehabilitation, especially given the growing evidence of poly-substance use. Consequently, the Group, in its deliberations will consider the degree to which problem alcohol use should be brought under the remit of the new Strategy and what role, if any, the Local/Regional Drugs Task Forces should play in this regard.

Once the Group's proposals on the new Strategy are received, I will carefully consider the recommendations before submitting the matter for Government consideration. I anticipate that this will happen in April, with publication of the Strategy to follow shortly thereafter.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 332: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reporting system in place for the drugs strategy from the local drugs task forces to An Taoiseach. [6335/09]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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The Local and Regional Drugs Task Forces report to the National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST), which is a cross-Departmental body which operates under the aegis of my Department. In addition, a member of the Team acts as liaison person on each of the Task Forces.

The NDST reports to my Department and to the Inter-departmental Group on Drugs (IDG), which I chair. The IDG reports, through my Department, to the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion, which is chaired by the Taoiseach.

As the Deputy may be aware, structures and reporting arrangements are among the broad range of issues being considered by the Steering Group currently developing proposals on the new National Drugs strategy 2009 — 2016.

For completeness, I might mention that an Expenditure Review of the Local Drugs Task Forces, completed in late 2006, found that:

the LDTF programme has been effective and highly relevant to the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy;

extensive measures have been implemented to address the drug problem at a local level; and

there are indications of high cost benefit ratios of projects such as those delivered through the LDTF programme.

The Review also identified some areas for improvement and substantial progress has been made in that regard.

More recently, an evaluation of nearly 300 interim funded Local Drugs Task Force projects has been carried out and its findings are being progressed.