The provision of drug treatment and rehabilitation services is a matter for health boards in the first instance. There are strict protocols in operation in relation to the provision of funding for voluntary agencies which are funded by health boards. Under these protocols details of the bona fides of such agencies must be submitted to the respective boards together with annual audited accounts and other relevant documentation. If such information is not available or not satisfactory funding is withheld.
In the case of the group to which the Deputy refers there is no direct funding from health boards. In addition, it operates outside of Ireland, which makes it difficult to obtain an exact picture of its operations, as a lot of earlier details on the group were based on newspaper articles and anecdotal information. My Department, together with the Department of Foreign Affairs and some health boards and parents who have an interest in this group, are carrying out an investigation into its activities, in order to assess the appropriateness of the services of the group.
My Department does not maintain a register of such groups. The health promotion unit, has, however, printed a Directory of Alcohol, Drugs and Related Services in the Republic of Ireland. This publication, which I am forwarding to the Deputy, has been compiled by an expert in the area of addiction, Ms. Sally Edwards, M.P.R.I.I., with the assistance of health board personnel and other experts in the field. It contains a listing of alcohol and drugs services, both voluntary and statutory, which are available in health boards and it has been developed as a reference for people looking for such services. Le Patriarch is not mentioned in this publication.
