Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 237: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on the report of NDRIC in view of the lack of funding made available to employ rehabilitation co-ordinators. [47404/09]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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The Report of the Working Group on Drugs Rehabilitation, which was chaired by my Department, was completed in 2007. It led to the establishment of the National Drugs Rehabilitation Implementation Committee (NDRIC) which is charged with overseeing and monitoring the implementation of the recommendations of the Report. As part of fulfilling the lead role in rehabilitation, the HSE chair this Committee and have primary responsibility for the implementation of the recommendations.

As in all areas of Government expenditure at this time, implementation of the recommendations of the Report will have to be achieved in the context of more limited funding in the short to medium term. Against this background the optimum use of the available resources is essential, with strong focus on the further development of inter-agency working, as recommended in the Report.

A Senior Rehabilitation Co-ordinator was appointed by the HSE some time ago and he chairs the NDRIC and leads the co-ordination of the overall drugs rehabilitation effort across the country. The HSE recently announced that two further Rehabilitation Co-ordinators are to be appointed, based in Waterford and Cork. I am heartened by this decision, which illustrates the commitment of the HSE to making real progress in this area. Rehabilitation involves addressing the broad needs of individuals, across medical support, training and employment, education, housing, prison-related issues and family-related issues. This broad approach is being encouraged through the work of the NDRIC, which has representatives of all relevant Departments and agencies, as well as the voluntary and community sectors.

Under the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016, I will be meeting twice a year with a number of Ministers and various senior officials who are involved in implementing various key actions in the Strategy. As part of that process, and underlining my emphasis on rehabilitation, I met with the Senior Rehabilitation Co-ordinator this week and we discussed developments to date and approaches to expediting progress in the months ahead.

Progress on rehabilitation will also figure prominently at the quarterly meetings of the Oversight Forum on Drugs, which I chair. This Forum will be reviewing progress across the Strategy and will be addressing any operational difficulties and blockages that arise. I am satisfied that there is a strong commitment to the implementation of the recommendations of the Working Group's Report and that the structures we now have in place will facilitate significant progress in the coming years.