Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 30 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 4

Written Answers. - Addiction Studies.

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

Appropriate training for those working with drug misusers in their local communities is an essential component for the successful implementation of drug demand reduction policy.

My Department has, for the past number of years, funded the diploma in addiction studies course in Trinity College, where both voluntary and statutory workers are provided with accredited training and skills in dealing with addiction. Because of the demand for this course the number of people taken into it per annum has increased from 12 to 24 in the 1997-8 academic year. The director of the course has also had discussions with the Eastern Health Board on how specialised training modules could be provided to drug workers employed by the board.

In the Eastern Health Board area direct funding has been provided by the board to a number of organisations, including Community Awareness of Drugs, EURAD, Urrús, Cáirde and Mater Dei which provide education and training modules on drug misuse, addiction and community responses.

The national drugs strategy team, which is chaired by an official from my Department, is conscious of the need to provide training for drug workers in the community generally, and, in particular, to implement the various strategies which have been developed by the local drugs task forces to tackle the drugs problem in their areas. The Government, on the recommendation of the national drugs strategy team, has allocated funding to allow a number of local task forces engage groups such as Urrús to provide addiction studies courses to community drug workers in their areas.

Because of the priority attached towards providing adequate and appropriate training to drug workers, the national drugs strategy team has set up a subgroup to examine this issue as a matter of urgency. The subgroup is examining a number of areas in relation to this matter, including funding and support for community based training bodies. The team is hopeful that an early resolution to the matter will be found and that all groups providing appropriate training will continue to play a key role in providing local based training at community level.