Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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2605. To ask the Minister for Health the reason for suspending activity of the North Inner City Drug and Alcohol Taskforce. [38345/21]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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2666. To ask the Minister for Health if he will elaborate on the governance shortcomings in the operations of the North Inner City Drug and Alcohol Taskforce communicated in a letter (details supplied) to members of the taskforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38696/21]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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2667. To ask the Minister for Health the legal basis for the suspension of the North Inner City Drug and Alcohol Task Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38697/21]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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2672. To ask the Minister for Health the specific points upon which the suspension of the North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force is based; the evidence which has been used for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38738/21]

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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2686. To ask the Minister for Health the reason his Department suspended the activities of the North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force and is putting in place its own process to appoint a chairperson and to broaden the membership of the task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38785/21]

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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3049. To ask the Minister for Health the governance shortcomings in the North Inner-City Drug and Alcohol Task Force that his Department has recently identified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40103/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2605, 2666, 2667, 2672, 2686 and 3049 together.

Drug and Alcohol Task Forces play a key role in the implementation of the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery 2017-2015. Action 50 in the strategy seeks to improve accountability across the statutory, community and voluntary sectors and strengthen the task force model. This action will be delivered by ensuring that task forces have proper arrangements in place for the selection and renewal of the chairperson and members of the task forces and have proper procedures in place for addressing conflicts of interest.

The task force handbook sets out the chairperson’s role to lead the task force and to facilitate its meetings.. The chairperson’s independence must clearly be established and evident in the manner in which the business of the task force is conducted. It is important therefore, that the chairperson appointed by the task force is not directly connected with any of the projects being funded by the task force. It is also important that there is complete transparency in the arrangements put in place by task forces for the selection process and appointment of the chairperson.

The North Inner City Drug and Alcohol Task Force has an annual allocation of €2.2 million in funds from the Department of Health. The Department has worked very cooperatively with the task force in recent years to enhance its contribution to the North East Inner City Initiative. At the start of 2021, the outgoing chairperson of the task force and the Department agreed arrangements to be put in place for the selection and appointment of the chairperson. Regrettably, the agreed process for selecting and appointing an independent chairperson was not followed. The Department wrote to the task force to highlight its concerns and to invite the task force to engage with the Department on this matter.

I strongly believe that it is the collective membership of the task force alone that should appoint a chairperson, and not the limited company associated with the task force. I ask for the cooperation of all stakeholders to put in place appropriate governance procedures for the North Inner City task force.