John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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104. To ask the Minister for Health his plans for drug task forces to provide community responses to problem alcohol consumption and promote community awareness of alcohol related harm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23460/18]

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to increase the funding to local and regional drug task forces in view of the extreme difficulties they are experiencing in maintaining programmes and projects with funding allocations remaining at 2014 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23461/18]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 109 together.

Drug and Alcohol Task Forces play a key role in assessing the extent and nature of the drug problem and in initiating appropriate responses, so that there is a coordinated approach involving all sectors to the problem of substance misuse in local communities.

I secured additional funding of €250,000 in Budget 2018 to improve the organisational effectiveness of the task forces in implementing the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. It is intended that task forces can apply for up to €10,000 in additional funding, on a once-off basis, in 2018 under this scheme. Task forces must submit applications for this additional funding by 11 June 2018.

The Department is developing a new programme to promote community awareness of alcohol-related harm. An additional €0.25m is available in Budget 2018 to fund phase 1 of the scheme, with the expectation that this will increase to €1m in 2019. It is anticipated that the scheme will commence in the last quarter of 2018.

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.