Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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756. To ask the Minister for Health the funding available for independent research and mapping on drug-related harms among children and young persons under the age of 18 including those who are homeless. [13546/16]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol (NACDA) is the research arm of the National Drugs Strategy. Its main function is to advise Government on the prevalence, prevention, treatment and consequences of the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol in Ireland. It has been allocated €388,000 by my Department for research projects in 2016.

In line with the National Drugs Strategy, the NACDA has carried out a number of studies which focus on the impact of substance use on children and young people. A 2011 study highlighted the need for precise, accurate and timely prevalence estimates to inform policy and the planning of services to meet the needs of children affected by substance misuse. Knowledge of the overall number of children with parents misusing substances in a particular geographic area is important for quantifying the scale of the issue.

In 2014, the NACDA commissioned research to estimate the prevalence of children of, or living with, substance misusing parents. It is anticipated that the results will be published this year. These estimates will help to assess the potential burden of parental substance misuse on health, social care services and family members in Ireland and hence are of relevance to a variety of policy arenas.

As the Deputy may be aware, a Steering Committee has been established to develop a new National Drugs Strategy, which will commence in 2017. Areas for future research will be determined in the course of the development of the new Strategy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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757. To ask the Minister for Health if there are legal restrictions on under 18s in accessing harm reduction drug services. [13547/16]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days he should contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.