Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
1118. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated additional capacity and services that will be delivered for each €1 million additional annual funding for the National Drugs Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21404/20]
View answerSubstance use and addiction affects people from all walks of life. By treating the use of substances as a public health issues, rather than solely as a criminal issue, we can better help individual, families and communities. The national drug strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, is the Government roadmap for addressing drug and alcohol use. The Programme for Government Our Shared Future, sets out the Government's priorities under the strategy.
The Department of Health provides over €130 million in funding to support the implementation of the national drug strategy. Additional funding of over €845k was provided for the implementation of the strategy in 2020. This funding supports the implementation of the Health Diversion Programme, to expand addiction services for pregnant and post-natal women, and to develop a community alcohol service in Galway and a residential treatment service for women and children in the mid-west region.
Improving access to services is a key goal of the strategy. It contains a series of actions which aim to reduce waiting times, provide more equity of access to services around the country and remove potential barriers to accessing treatment by those with complex needs. The strategy also aims to minimise the harms caused by the use and misuse of substances and promote rehabilitation and recovery.
I believe that additional resources should be directed towards interventions and strategies which are most likely to lead to a reduction in problem substance use and an improvement in public health, safety and well-being. I will consider the allocation of additional resources for the national drugs strategy as part of the Estimates process.
