Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 339: To ask the Minister for Defence his Department's annual spend on tackling problematic alcohol and illegal drug use respectively for each of the past three years. [20951/09]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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While my Department has incurred no direct expenditure in relation to civil servants and civilian employees during the last three years, support is provided to staff through the work of the Employee Assistance Officer and Social Workers respectively.

Furthermore, I am advised by the military authorities that alcoholism is dealt with in the Defence Forces by either the Personnel Support Service (PSS) / Social Workers or the Medical Corps. Notwithstanding the fact that the costs associated with the treatment of alcoholism are absorbed in the overall running of the PSS and the Medical Corps, the latter have advised that year to date expenditure on specific alcohol abuse medication amounts to €107.56. This expenditure relates to the restocking of supplies purchased in 2005. No expenditure in this regard was incurred between 2006 and 2008.

The Irish Defence Forces policy on drug and substance abuse or misuse is based on the premise that unlawful possession, supply or use of a controlled drug is incompatible with membership of the Defence Forces. Any member who tests positive is liable to be removed from the Defence Forces. A Compulsory Random Drug Testing programme aimed at deterrence was introduced in October 2002. The detailed cost of running this programme over the last three years is contained in the following table.