Vol. 516 No. 1
36 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on his speech to the conference on drugs in Dublin Castle on 19 February 2000; and if he has conveyed the sentiments he expressed to the Department of Education and Science. [7012/00]
In my speech to a conference on drugs in Dublin Castle on 19 February 2000, I spoke of the enormous contribution which the voluntary and community sectors, in partnership with the State agencies, are making towards responding to the drug problem, particularly through the work of the local drugs task forces.
In response to a subsequent question from one of the conference delegates regarding the lack of representation by the Department of Education and Science on the task forces, I expressed my disappointment that this difficulty – which arises primarily from the fact the Department does not have localised administrative structures comparable to other agencies delivering services in these areas – had not yet been resolved, despite the efforts of all involved to find a pragmatic solution. I am pleased to announce that, since the conference, the Department has met the chairpersons of the task forces and has put forward proposals for resolving this issue.
