As the Deputy will be aware, the guidelines for the operation of the young people's facilities and services fund in the drugs task force areas, including Tallaght, were announced recently. Twenty million pounds has been earmarked from the fund for the task force areas over three years to support a variety of capital projects, including sport and recreational facilities, and non-capital projects.
The guidelines set out in general terms are: the objectives of the fund in the task force areas; the process by which integrated plans for each area will be developed and assessed; and the broad criteria that will be applied in assessing the plans.
As envisaged in the guidelines, a development group in the Tallaght task force area is being established, comprising representation from the local drugs task force, Dublin County Council and the County Dublin VEC, to draw up an integrated facilities and services plan for the Tallaght area. This plan, together with the plans from the other task force areas, will be submitted by the end of September, via the relevant local drugs task force, to the assessment committee which is chaired by my Department.
The assessment committee will assess all plans on the basis of the criteria established and will make recommendations, via the national drugs policy group, to the Cabinet Committee on Social
Inclusion and Drugs regarding the allocation of funding to support the implementation of the plans.
The assessment committee is currently in the process of finalising the detailed criteria for the operation of the fund which are expected to be agreed within a matter of days. These criteria, which will be widely available, will be issued to the development groups charged with the development of plans in each area.
