Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 295: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his Department's annual spend on tackling problematic alcohol and illegal drug use respectively for each of the past three years. [20948/09]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Department does not provide funding for the specific purpose of tackling problematic alcohol and illegal drug use.

The Department's various funding schemes and programmes, particularly in the sports and arts sectors, may contribute to this goal indirectly by encouraging healthy lifestyles through sport and recreation and promoting personal and social development. For example the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children's Sport, which has been disseminated to sports clubs and in respect of which the Irish Sports Council has organised training courses, discourages the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. However, it is not practicable to estimate that portion of the funding devoted to sports and the arts which achieves positive substance misuse outcomes.