Vol. 455 No. 8
71 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the National Co-ordinating Committee on Drugs; when it was established; the dates on which it has met; its work to date; the role that is planned for this body in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12686/95]
Limerick East): The National Co-ordinating Committee on Drug Abuse was originally established in March, 1985 to advise the Government on general issues regarding the prevention and treatment of drug abuse. The Co-ordinating Committee met on a regular basis to monitor national developments and trends in drug misuse. It was representative of Government Departments including Health, Justice, Foreign Affairs and Education as well as the Gardaí and Customs authorities, voluntary agencies and trade unions.
In 1990 the committee was reconstituted and strengthened to ensure that services were co-ordinated at the highest level. The Minister of State at the Department of Health was appointed Chairman and the committee was asked to develop a set of recommendations which would form the basis for a National Strategy to prevent drug misuse, dealing with all aspects of the problem, with particular emphasis on demand reduction. The committee then made its recommendations to the Government in 1991. These were accepted by the Government and formed the basis for its Strategy to Prevent Drug Misuse which was published in May 1991. The Strategy contains recommendations to deal with the areas of supply reduction and increased access for drug misusers to treatment and rehabilitation programmes, together with a comprehensive co-ordinated structure geared towards their implementation.
