Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 June 2004
18 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the percentage of funding available to his Department which he has allocated to communities or groups combating drug problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16795/04]
View answer51 Mr. Coveney asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason the Bray local drug task force area is the only area not currently implementing their second round of action plans; when he expects that Bray will progress to second round funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16657/04]
View answer71 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the last round of funding to resource the drugs task force programme was allocated in 2002; and if he will assign additional funding for the project as a matter of urgency. [16780/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 51 and 71 together.
As the Deputies are aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 which contains 100 individual actions to be implemented by a range of Departments and agencies.
My Department also has responsibility for the work of the 14 local drugs task forces, or LDTFs, which operate in the areas experiencing the highest levels of drug misuse. Substantial funding has been allocated to these areas over the past number of years and in total the Government has allocated or spent approximately €65 million to implement in the region of 500 projects contained in the task force plans since 1997; over €12.7 million to support nearly 60 projects under the premises initiative, which is designed to meet the accommodation needs of community based drugs projects; and over €72 million under the young people's facilities and services fund, or YPFSF, to support in the region of 450 facility and services projects. An amount of €26.8 million — 9.6% of the overall Vote of my Department — has been provided for drugs programmes in 2004. The bulk of this funding will be used to support the work of the LDTFs and the YPFSF.
The Bray LDTF was not established until 2000 whereas all of the other LDTFs were set up in 1997. Proposals submitted by the task force as part of their first action plan were approved by the Cabinet committee on social inclusion in early 2002 and are being implemented at present. A number of the projects are still at an early stage of development and no proposals have been received to date from the task force in respect of a second plan.
All of the other task forces are currently implementing their second round of plans. A number of these are also at an early stage of development and the aim would be consolidate and evaluate the work being done through these projects before seeking any additional proposals in respect of a further round of plans.
