Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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174. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the efficacy of the national drugs strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18743/16]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 is a cross cutting area of public policy and service delivery, which requires a coordinated multi-sectoral approach to tackling the drugs problem. Periodic reviews of progress of the actions of the current Strategy are carried out through the Oversight Forum on Drugs, which I chair. The 2015 progress report on the implementation of the actions of the National Drugs Strategy is available on the Department’s website www.health.gov.ie.

As the Deputy will be aware, a Steering Committee has been established to advise me on a new National Drugs Strategy, which will take effect in 2017 when the current policy expires. A high level review of the current Strategy has been undertaken by a panel of international experts as part of this process, which includes consideration of the overall impact of the Strategy in tackling the drugs problem in Ireland and on progress in terms of developments internationally. The final report of the expert panel, which is expected shortly, will assist the Steering Committee in determining how the new Strategy should address problem drug use to meet the challenges ahead.