Written answers
Tuesday, 11 July 2017
Department of Health
Drug and Alcohol Task Forces
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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455. To ask the Minister for Health the implementation progress on each of the 15 recommendations included within the 2012 report on the review of drugs task forces and the national structures under which they operate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32666/17]
Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The National Coordinating Committee for Drug and Alcohol Task Forces is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the recommendations of the Report on the Review of Drugs Task Forces and the National Structures Under Which They Operate.I have set out the progress on each of the 15 recommendations in the following table:
| - | Recommendation | Achieved |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Drugs Advisory Group should be reconstituted as the National Co-ordinating Committee for Drug and Alcohol Task Forces (NCC-DATF). | Yes |
| 2 | The NCC-DATF should be chaired by the Department of Health with membership to include two representatives from each of the four DTF Networks, and representatives from key Departments and Agencies as well as the two community and voluntary sector representatives. | Yes |
| 3 | The roles and responsibilities of members of the NCC-DATF should be clearly set out in guidelines for membership of the committee. | Yes |
| 4 | The NCC- DATF should meet at least six times a year. | Yes |
| 5 | Drugs and Alcohol Task Forces should have updated terms of reference as stated in the report. | Yes |
| 6 | The NCC-DATF should develop a common evidence based assessment tool incorporating key performance indicators to measure the impact of the Drugs Task Forces, having regard to best practice internationally. | Yes |
| 7 | The representatives of the respective networks representing the Local Co-ordinators and the Regional Co-ordinators should be responsible for briefing the NCC-DATF on local implementation of the NDS, on models of best practice, and lessons learned in relation to those initiatives which did not work or were found not to be effective. | Yes |
| 8 | Each DATF coordinator should provide the Drugs Programmes Unit of the Department of Health with a quarterly report on progress which should address any significant operational issues in relation to funded projects including but not limited to financial control and governance issues and outline, where applicable, details of blockages or barriers to the work of the DATF. | Yes |
| 9 | The DATF coordinator shall apply to the Drugs Programmes Unit for approval prior to any proposal to make a material change to the purpose of a funded project or to recruit staff to support the work of the DATF whether employed directly by the DATF or another body. | Yes |
| 10 | In the interests of good governance, Drug and Alcohol Task Forces should comply with the provisions set out in the report. | Ongoing |
| 11 | Local members of the Oireachtas and members of relevant Local Authorities should have automatic entitlement to become members of DATF and should be notified of this when elected, and given a specific time frame to take up their membership. An upper limit of 5 seats on the Task Force should be applied (2 for members of the Oireachtas and 3 members of the local authority). These seats should be filled on an agreed rotational basis by the relevant local authorities and by local members of the Oireachtas. | Ongoing |
| 12 | The Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy should meet with both the Chairs and Coordinators of the Local and Regional DATF Networks at least once a year. | Yes |
| 13 | The membership of the Oversight Forum on Drugs should include a representative of each of the Networks representing the Local and Regional Chairs of the DATFs. | Yes |
| 14 | The Oversight Forum on Drugs should meet on a quarterly basis. | Yes |
| 15 | The Minister will consult with Local and Regional Drugs Task Forces in relation to implementing proposed boundary changes. | No |
I will shortly be publishing a new National Drugs Strategy, which will outline the new structures required to oversee implementation of the Strategy into the future.
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