I announced an emerging needs fund earlier this year. The fund represents an initiative to deal with different issues arising as the drugs misuse scenario evolves and a sum of up to €1 million to meet such needs has been allocated for this purpose.
To date, I have allocated €181,238 under the emerging needs fund to the following five projects: community policing forum, Blanchardstown —€60,000; counselling support for CDTs, Blanchardstown —€40,000; SNUG counselling, north inner city —€22,400; Barnardos childcare project, Dún Laoghaire —€13,904; and Howth Peninsula drugs awareness group —€44,934. A further batch of applications are currently being assessed and I hope to be in a position to make more allocations in the near future.