Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
2841. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the funding that was distributed from the social inclusion unit by service or aim that is alcohol consumption reduction in 2020 and 2021 to date respectively, in tabular form. [39344/21]
View answerThe remit of the drugs policy unit is to coordinate the implementation of the national drugs strategy. It does not have a specific remit in regard to alcohol consumption reduction. Other units in the Department are responsible for the public health response to alcohol use.
The Department provides annual funding of €130 million to the HSE and the network of Drug and Alcohol Task Forces to provide drug and alcohol services, including prevention and early intervention initiatives.
The HSE National Service Plan for 2021 sets out the range and priorities for drug and alcohol services this year. The following priorities have an alcohol related focus;
- Develop community based drug and alcohol services and family support services, including the Dublin North East Inner City initiative and the Galway alcohol service and services for pregnant and post-natal women
- Expand services for women who use drugs and alcohol in a harmful way
- Expand the capacity and availability of the HSE Drug and Alcohol Helpline
- Support the development of an area-based approach to community health and wellbeing improvement with a particular focus on areas of deprivation with the implementation of a new community-based integrated alcohol services across primary and acute settings.
As the specific numerical information requested in this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
