Limerick East): I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 77 of 20 March to Deputy Gregory on this matter, which was as follows:
As the Deputy will be aware, Local Drugs Task Forces have been set up in 12 priority areas in Dublin as recommended by the Ministerial Task Force on Measures to Reduce the Demand for Drugs. One of the priorities for each Task Force will be to draw up a profile of all existing services and resources available in the area to combat the drugs problem and to agree a development strategy to build on these.
The Eastern Health Board, which has statutory authority for the development of health services in Dublin has approved a plan costing up to £5 million in 1997 for the development of its drug misuse prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services in Dublin in accordance with the recommendation made by the ministerial task force that waiting lists for treatment should be abolished during 1997. The board will be consulting each local drugs task force about the elements of the plan which impinge on the task force area and these will be considered by the task force for inclusion in its service development plan. In so far as such developments relate to mainstream services, funding for them will be provided by the Eastern Health Board. It could arise that a local drugs task force may propose a new initiative involving a number of agencies, including the Eastern Health Board. In such circumstances it would be envisaged that funding for a proposal along the lines should come from the £10 million available this year to fund proposals from Local Drugs Task Forces.
