Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will make further cuts to the local and regional drugs task forces in the second half of 2009; and if he has audited the impact that further cuts will have for service provision. [8837/09]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Drugs Task Force projects have been approved funding for the first six months of 2009 and this expenditure will be reviewed before allocating the remaining six months funding. Until that exercise is complete, I cannot say if further savings will be required in the context of available funding this year.

In the context of the current economic climate, all Drugs Task Forces have been asked to identify savings across their areas of responsibility. I appreciate that this will involve some difficult choices having to be made, but given the community-based role of the Task Forces, it is a matter for them to identify measures to enable them to work within their allocated budgets.

I would like to assure the Deputy that my primary concern has been — and continues to be — the protection of front-line services delivering vital programmes and initiatives in areas worst affected by problem drug use. I am confident that the funding being provided to Task Forces in 2009 — which will be of the order of €34.6m — will continue to facilitate the delivery of a wide range of community-based initiatives to address problem drug use.