Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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1766. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown on the allocation of €330,000 of funding within CHO 2 for each community and voluntary organisations in counties Mayo, Galway and Roscommon to maintain existing level of service for drugs and inclusion health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38453/23]

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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1788. To ask the Minister for Health whether recently announced €3.5 million funding for drug and alcohol services is annual reoccurring funding or a once-off payment. [38591/23]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1766 and 1788 together.

I recently announced €3.5 million in annual funding to maintain existing level of drugs and inclusion health services provided by community and voluntary organisations. The funding is recurring.

The funding recognises the important role of community and voluntary groups in providing drugs and inclusion health services, and acknowledges the increased costs of providing these essential services.

I am allocating between €330,000 and €445,000 per annum to CHOs to support existing services to meet the health needs of socially excluded groups, such as people who use drugs and people who are homeless.

A strategic approach will be adopted in the use of this funding, to ensure tangible and quantifiable health benefits for service users and to support sustainable improvements in service provision. Priority will be given to services which are experiencing increased demand and have not received additional funding in recent years, in order to ensure maximum positive impact.

It is envisaged that the funding will be distributed in Q3 2023. For further information, it is suggested that services contact their local CHO.