Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 January 2006
929 Mr. O’Connor asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the actions in place to deal with the problem of cocaine in the Tallaght region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2256/06]
View answerUnder the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008, each of the 14 local drugs task forces, including that for Tallaght, has in place an action plan to tackle drug misuse in their area, based on their own identified priorities.
Specifically focusing on cocaine, I approved funding of almost €400,000 for four pilot cocaine treatment projects and a training initiative operating in various drugs task force areas. One of these treatment projects is located in the Tallaght area. It is run by the community addiction response project, Killinarden and St. Dominic's, and it is targeted at problematic intranasal cocaine users. Generally the feedback from these pilot projects has been positive and it is hoped that they will help in generating an overall response to the cocaine problem. Formal assessment of the projects is being undertaken by Goodbody Economic Consultants Limited and it is expected that a preliminary report will be available in the coming months. As there is no substitution treatment drug for cocaine, services such as counselling and behavioural therapy are utilised to help misusers. In that regard, the health services have recruited additional counsellors and outreach workers in the last number of years.
I am satisfied that, through the implementation of the actions in the national drugs strategy and the projects and initiatives operated through the local drugs task force, the problem of cocaine in the Tallaght region is being addressed.
