Vol. 506 No. 3
28 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the steps, if any, being taken to speed up the drawing down of money for projects approved by the local drugs task forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15478/99]
Of the 214 separate projects contained in the action plans of the local drugs task forces which were approved for funding, 198 are currently drawing down or have drawn down the money allocated to them from the sum of £10 million which was provided for this purpose. Of these, 57 projects have already used up their original allocations and are now in receipt of interim funding to enable them to continue, pending evaluation of their impact and assessment as regards suitability for mainstreaming. In this instance, mainstreaming would mean that the projects remain community based but funded directly through the relevant statutory agencies.
The principal factors which have impacted on the start-up of projects are that many projects are designed to address gaps in current service provision and, as a result, have had to be planned and designed ab initio; in many instances, local management structures have had to be put in place to ensure community ownership, as well as sustainability, of the projects; and the shortage of premises and appropriately trained personnel to deliver the proposed programmes and services.
The promoters of the 16 projects which have not yet commenced are being assisted by the local drugs task forces, the national drugs strategy team and relevant statutory agencies in their efforts to get them up and running.
