Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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746. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on the status of the review of the operation of the local drugs task forces, the report of which was announced in December; when the oversight forum will meet; when the new co-ordinating body to replace the drugs advisory group will meet; and if he will restate the Government's commitment to the full implementation of the national drugs strategy. [36767/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I announced details of a series of measures last December arising from a review of Drugs Task Forces, in order to better equip them to respond to the current pattern of substance misuse. These measures included the extension of the remit of the Task Forces to include alcohol addiction and the establishment of a National Coordinating Committee for Drug and Alcohol Task Forces, which will replace the Drugs Advisory Group.

As measures to address the abuse of alcohol remain under consideration by the Government, I am not yet in a position to provide clear time-scales for the establishment of the new National Coordinating Committee.  However, the Government remains fully committed to the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy, including at the local level. To this end, I intend to arrange a series of bilateral dialogues in the coming weeks with Government departments and agencies, the community and voluntary sector and the drugs task forces in order to assess how the inter-agency approach to the National Drugs Strategy can be maintained and strengthened.  Reinvigorating the multi-sectoral approach to the National Drugs Strategy is key to the successful implementation of the Drugs Task Force reforms in my view.