asked the Minister for Health the amount of money provided in 1985 for the prevention of the harm caused by: the misuse of (a) drugs; (b) smoking and (c) alcohol.
Written Answers. - Alcohol, Smoking and Drug Abuse.
172.
Expenditure on the prevention of harm caused by the misuse of drugs, smoking and alcohol from the Health and Social Welfare Votes in 1985, to the extent that such expenditure can be separately identified and quantified, is as follows:
1. Drug abuse: £280,000 to the Coolmine Therapeutic Community for both treatment and preventive services. Coolmine is actively involved in prevention, particularly through education of parents; £44,000 by the Health Education Bureau for education about drug abuse; £30,000 to Trinity College for the diploma course in addiction studies. This course provides specialised training for workers in direct contact with drug abusers and their families; £11,700 to the National Federation for Community Action on Drugs for the expansion and development of their current activities in the area of drug education; £10,000 to the Anna Liffey project which provides support for ex-addicts through group work and counselling; £5,000 to the Dublin Diocesan Council PTAA, for their youth temperance programme; $5,000 to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control. The principal aim of UNFDAC is to limit the supply of drugs to legitimate requirements by putting an end to illegal or uncontrolled production, processing and manufacture, making use of enforcement, crop substitution and other methods as appropriate.
The work of the drug unit in Jervis Street includes an educational and preventive element. It is not possible to quantify the amount of expenditure involved as it is included in the overall budget of the unit.
2. Smoking: £440,536 by the Health Education Bureau on measures to combat smoking;
3. Alcohol: £69,000 to the Irish National Council on Alcoholism for educative and preventive work on alcohol abuse. £2,000 by the Health Education Bureau on prevention of alcohol abuse.
At present treatment services for persons with alcohol related problems are mainly based in psychiatric hospitals. The services are run by alcoholism counsellors who are also involved in educational and preventive work in the locality. It is not possible to quantify the cost of the preventive aspect of the services.
Health Education: The Health Education Bureau and the health boards provide health education services which are part of the campaign to prevent substance abuse but which cannot be separately costed. These services include grants to voluntary bodies, the employment of health education officers and the library and research services of the Health Education Bureau.
Expenditure From Other Votes: Important preventive work to combat substance abuse has also been funded from the Votes of the Ministers for Education, Labour, Justice and by the activities of the Revenue Commissioners.