Vol. 563 No. 5
99 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the progress to date on the national drugs strategy including progress on the critical implementation path for the 100 actions agreed under this strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8380/03]
101 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when the annual report on the national drugs strategy, including the nature and extent of the drug problem here and the progress being made to date, will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8383/03]
102 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress made to date in implementing the new national drugs strategy launched in May 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8327/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 99, 101 and 102 together.
As the Deputies are aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. The strategy aims to tackle the drug problem in the most comprehensive way ever undertaken in this country and contains 100 individual actions – under the four pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research – to be implemented by a range of Departments and agencies.
Since the strategy was launched in May 2001, considerable progress has been made by Departments and agencies in implementing the actions set out for them in the strategy. The interdepartmental group on drugs, IDG, which I chair, meets regularly to assess progress by Departments and agencies in achieving the targets set for them and any obstacles to the implementation of any of the actions are brought to light at these meetings, which take place monthly or six weekly.
Six monthly progress reports on the strategy are provided to the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion, the most recent of which was presented in September last. A further progress report is currently being prepared.
In terms of progress, I would like to highlight a few areas: considerable headway has been made as regards increasing the number of methadone treatment places. The number of places at the end of December 2002, the latest date for which confirmed figures are available, was 6,449, which is just on target in accordance with what was laid down in the strategy; in relation to the regional drugs task forces, nominations have been sought from the various sectors, including statutory, community and voluntary. In addition, the national drugs strategy team has prepared guidelines on their operation in consultation with the relevant sectors and agencies. It is hoped all the task forces will have their inaugural meetings shortly after Easter; guidelines to assist schools in the development of a drugs policy have been developed and issued to all primary and post-primary schools; the Department of Education and Science, which is now represented on all local drugs task forces, is recruiting extra support staff to enable the delivery of substance misuse prevention programmes in all schools in the next three years. Schools in the local drugs task force, LDTF, areas will be prioritised in this context; the Department of Health and Children has established a cross-sectoral committee to develop an on-going national awareness campaign. This campaign, which is due to be launched in late April-early May, will target a number of groups including young people; and, in addition, the Department chairs a group tasked with the development of a protocol for the treatment of under-18s. I understand that good progress is being made in this area.
Under the research pillar of the strategy, the Deputies will be aware that the National Advisory Committee on Drugs is currently overseeing a three year research programme on the extent, nature, causes and effects of drug use in Ireland.
With regard to the research actions in the strategy, it should be noted that: the homeless population research study has been commissioned and a draft report is expected in autumn; it is planned to commence work on the Traveller population research shortly; a longitudinal study on treatment outcomes commenced in November; and a review of the harm reduction mechanisms for injecting drug users in an Irish context is under way.
The NACD has also commissioned a number of other studies, including an all-Ireland population survey on drug use, the results of which are due this summer, as well as an estimate of the number of opiate users in Ireland, which is due next month.
My Department also has responsibility for the work of the LDTFs, which were established in 1997 in the areas experiencing the worst levels of drug misuse. Currently, there are 14 LDTFs – 12 in Dublin, one in Cork and one in Bray.
In total, the Government has allocated more than €51 million to implement the projects con tained in the two rounds of plans of the task forces since 1997. The Deputies should also note that a further €11.5 million has been allocated to projects under the premises initiative, which is designed to meet the accommodation needs of community based drugs projects, the majority of which are in LDTF areas.
In addition, more than €68 million has been allocated to support approximately 350 facility and services projects in LDTF areas under the young people's facilities and services fund. The main aim of the fund is to attract "at risk" young people in disadvantaged areas into recreational facilities and activities and divert them away from the dangers of substance abuse.
The first annual report on the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008, which will cover the period 2001-2002, is currently being drafted and it is hoped to publish the report by end May this year. The annual report will examine the nature and extent of the drug problem in Ireland and the progress being made in achieving the objectives set out in the strategy.
Under the strategy, each Department and agency must prepare and publish a critical implementation path, CIP, for each of the actions relevant to their remit. My Department is co-ordinating the publication of a composite CIP for all the various actions. While most of the Departments and agencies involved have drawn up paths for their actions, a small number have taken longer than anticipated to do so. This is due to a number of factors, including the need to consult with relevant staff and other interested parties and the need to commit the resources necessary to implement the actions. This process is now almost complete and it is also hoped to publish the composite CIP within the next few months.
Like everybody else I welcome and support the national drugs strategy and its 100 action points but the core issue is that the money is being allocated from the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion and Drugs, which consists of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister opposite, Deputy Noel Ahern, the Ministers for Health and Children, the Environment and Local Government, Education and Science and so on. The Minister of State needed €23 million but he is already €7 million short as we start the year. Where will he make cuts in the strategy? The local drugs task forces have committed expenditure of €16 million – equal to the total budget for the drugs strategy for this year. A document from the Minister of State's Department stated that if the cuts apply pro rata to the local drugs task forces, 45% of all projects will be affected by cutbacks. The Minister of State recently met Citywide and other community groups and was told that some workers on these community schemes were on short time.
We are not planning any cuts yet although we got less money than we requested.
Is the Minister of State committed to spending that money?
Cabinet sub-committee approval was given to round two of the local drugs task force plan last year. If all of those plans had started on 1 January we would have needed all of the money but many of them still have not started. It is estimated that just under 60% of the projects have commenced and that approximately 90% will be up and running by mid-summer. The local drugs task forces that got approval for their plans will not start the following day, there are problems with sponsoring agencies and staff to be overcome. The vast majority of projects, however, will be running by the middle of the year and that will take off some of the pressure.
We have transferred some money from the capital side to the current side and, as the year goes on, I hope the Minister will look favourably at the drugs side if any other savings arise within the Department. We are not planning any cuts and hope we will be able to fund all the plans that were approved last year.
What about the regional task forces? Is the national drugs strategy improving the position? I accept that there are 100 different proposals to be implemented but what is the overall outlook? The national advisory committee on drugs is carrying out a three year research project. Has there been any preliminary feedback yet? If not, when does the Minister of State expect the final results of the research?
We are currently gathering information about the regional drugs task forces from the statutory and community sectors and it is hoped they will have their first meeting by Easter or shortly afterwards. They will then move forward, although some of them have said that the major problems is alcohol, not other drugs.
The strategy has been a success from the point of view of what we set out to do which was to tackle the problem. Good progress has been made in the aims laid down for all the Departments and agencies but it is hard to know if we are solving the problem. I will not come in some day and announce the drug problem is solved, we all know that. It is difficult for drugs task forces to quantify the effects of any action they take or to say that there would be more drug users without their strategy. A great deal of good is being done in diverting young people into alternative and useful lifestyles such as sport or arts. The gardaí have been successful in confiscating drugs but we cannot give every young person a guardian angel. We can teach people about the dangers and pitfalls and make them accept responsibility for their own actions. It is hard, however, to report how many people might have fallen into drugs without such a strategy. We regard the strategy as useful and it is making good progress.
Indicators for the success of the national drugs strategy are needed. There could be cross-referencing of the work of the Department and the national drugs task force with information from other Departments and State agencies. Do the health boards have statistics for the numbers of drug related injuries, illnesses or deaths in their areas? Do the gardaí and Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform collect figures for the amounts of drugs seized, their types and the convictions handed down to those trafficking in and using particular substances?
The difficulty many of us have with the national drugs strategy is that success is only measured in the amount of money put into the project. The number of young people involved in projects at a local level is used as a diversionary tactic. The effect of the strategy across the State should be measured and the Minister of State should give some thought to indicators for measuring such success.
We are not judging success by the money we put in. Many of the indicators mentioned by the Deputy form part of the strategies. Figures for drug seizures and the number of gardaí in drugs task force areas are collected regularly. Targets were set down and they are being met.
I could tell the Deputy about all the good work being done but he asked if turning it around might solve the problem. It is difficult to quantify but much good is being done and many of the targets are being met. The number of Garda seizures and convictions is increasing. More of the problem is being soaked up but for every seizure, at least the same again gets through. It comes down to the individual and the State can only try to make him aware through every format that he must accept responsibility for his actions and give him the self-confidence and belief to be able to say no.
The involvement of communities is the key to reducing supply. That is where we fell down in the past when communities and their representatives tried to tackle the problem.
There was uproar a few years ago over drugs being sold just off O'Connell Street but crack cocaine is now being sold on a street synonymous with Dublin. What message does that send to communities that have protested and marched against drugs through the years? That is the wrong message and it will disengage people from the process rather than encourage them towards it. Does the Minister of State agree that the way forward is to encourage people to become involved? In my area, seizures of cocaine have increased by 1,000% over the past two years and that is just a symptom of what is out there. I agree with the comments of the Minister of State. All of us have anecdotal evidence of what is happening in our areas. The position on the ground is that the drugs are becoming cheaper and more readily available. A new generation is getting involved in drugs.
I refer to the question I already put to the Minister of State. What feedback is he getting from community groups on the cutbacks they are experiencing on the ground? Have they not expressed great concern to him that some of those working on local drugs task forces in the community have given notice that they will have to quit their jobs shortly as the money to keep them in place is not available?
In relation to the reference by the Minister of State to the serious situation with regard to drink in all areas, is he not worried that, with the cutback in Garda overtime, not only will the Garda no longer be able to control the drink issue but there will also be difficulties with drugs? There is serious anxiety among gardaí in that respect.
The Deputies spoke of communities. I agree the official response probably did not include communities initially but that has been corrected from 1996-97 onwards, when the local drugs task forces were established. Since then, it has been official policy to work with local task forces, on which communities are represented. From my involvement as a member of a local drugs task force until last summer, I am aware that a great deal of local expertise has been developed. The involvement of communities is crucial – that is the road to success. Previously, many individuals and families suffered in silence, with nobody around to help them except, perhaps, during the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. An excellent local voluntary resource has been built up. I see that as the main success of the policy of successive Governments in relation to the drugs problem in recent years.
With regard to Deputy O'Dowd's question, the answer is "No". Local communities are telling me they are hearing from people such as the Deputy and others that there will be a shortage of funds.
They are hearing it from Department officials.
Perhaps we can use the information to which the Deputy refers to good advantage in the next debate on the matter. I have already explained the situation to him. We expect to be in a position to fully meet all the demands on my Department as per the plans of the drugs task forces this year. I agree it will be tight, but that is the situation in which we find ourselves. Yes, there is concern, but I ask Deputies not to fuel that situation or add to it.
Should we hide our concern?
The time allowed for this question has expired. We must move on.
We are reasonably confident that we will not have to affect the plans of local drugs task forces in any way.
