Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 90: To ask the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in the context of his responsibility for the implementation of the national drugs strategy, the steps he intends to take to introduce an agreed input model for budgets because of the current difficulties disaggregating the actual spend on drugs across the various Departments and agencies involved. [38987/10]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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For some years now Departments and agencies involved in delivering the National Drugs Strategy have provided estimates of their expenditure in combating problem drug use. The figures that are compiled relate to services that are, for the most part, directly aimed at dealing with the drugs issue under the Strategy. Thus the estimates do not include mainstream services that impact positively in varying ways on the overall drugs problem. In these cases is not feasible at present to accurately disentangle a drug-related element of the overall funding.

Under the Research & Information pillar of the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016, Action 50 envisages the development and implementation, in association with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), of new drugs indicators at national level for three areas, including public expenditure. This is a Europe-wide initiative and the Health Research Board has been allocated the lead role here on this Action. It is envisaged that the matter will be progressed, in association with other EU Member States, over the period of the Strategy.