John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

654. To ask the Minister for Health the funding provided to the various drugs and alcohol taskforce groups nationally since 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15010/18]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

655. To ask the Minister for Health the additional resources that have been provided to drugs taskforces since the additional responsibilities for alcohol has been assigned to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15011/18]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

656. To ask the Minister for Health the rationale for the additional allocation of responsibility for alcohol abuse being given to drugs and alcohol taskforces nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15012/18]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

659. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to increase the allocation of funding to community based drug projects and groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15015/18]

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

848. To ask the Minister for Health the funding which has been allocated to support and enhance the capacity of local and regional drug task forces and for a forum to support the implementation of proposals in Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017 – 2025, by task force and region for 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15730/18]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 654 to 656, inclusive, and 659 and 848 together.

Drug and Alcohol Task Forces play a key role in assessing the extent and nature of the drug problem in their areas and in coordinating action at local level, so that there is a targeted response to the problem of substance misuse in local communities. Every effort has been made to protect the budgets of Drug and Alcohol Task Forces in recent years. In excess of €27.6m has been allocated to Task Forces by the HSE and the Department of Health for community-based drugs initiatives this year. This level of funding is consistent with the amounts provided for the last four years.

The budget allocation for the twenty four Local and Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Forces from the Drugs Initiative of the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive for 2010 to 2018 is set out in the table hereunder. Details of the allocations for Drug and Alcohol Task Forces before 2010 are not readily available.

Arising from a request from the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy a review of Task Forces was  completed in 2012. One of the main changes recommended by the review was that Drug Task Forces be renamed Drug and Alcohol Task Forces and given a role in relation to tackling alcohol.

In light of their expanded role, a substance misuse measure was included in the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2014 and the Task Forces were identified as the key structures through which the measure would be implemented.

In excess of €930,000 in additional funding was recommended for disbursement to Drug and Alcohol Task Forces from the Dormant Accounts Fund for substance misuse initiatives. The grants to Task Forces were provided from the Dormant Accounts Fund on a once-off basis to undertake a range of coordinated activities aimed at raising awareness of drug and alcohol-related harm in local communities in line with the National Drugs Strategy.

The Community Action on Alcohol Pilot Project was developed in 2014 to provide Task Forces with training on community mobilisation in order to develop coordinated strategies to change behaviour around alcohol and raise awareness of alcohol related harm. In addition, a number of Task Forces have benefitted from training provided by the Alcohol Forum for the development of local alcohol action plans.

I strongly believe that resources should be directed towards interventions that are most effective in reducing problem substance use. Measuring the effectiveness of responses to the drug problem is therefore an important objective of public policy. Towards this end, my Department will develop a performance measurement system by 2020 which will improve accountability across all sectors, including the task forces. 

I intend meeting with the Chairs of  the twenty four Local and Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Forces shortly to discuss the implementation of  the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, including initiatives to strengthen the capacity of task forces to support the implementation of the strategy.

table contd.