I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter and also the Minister for State for coming in to the House to reply.
The national drugs strategy review is likely to be published in the next few weeks outlining future plans and investment in the fight against drug use and addiction in the capital and throughout the country. Cork was the only area outside Dublin included in the original national drugs strategy and there have been many positive results.
An expansion of the current strategy and local drugs task forces is required. I am glad that this is happening in Cork city centre with new projects on both the north side and south side being incorporated in the Minister of State's new plans. He visited Cork recently to launch the Cork local drugs task force action plan, phase 1, which allocates more than £700,000 to fund 16 projects in the city centre. This is welcome news for which I thank him. However, a serious mistake may be made by not including in the overall strategy a number of areas outside the city centre, satellite towns with large young populations which have serious and growing drugs and drug-related problems.
Phase 1 of the Cork local drugs task force plan has been announced, but phase 2 is under assessment and will finish in July. Unfortunately, my sources have said that the indications are that phase 2 projects will not be accepted for funding under the national drugs strategy. Phase 2 specifically refers to four projects in areas outside Cork city where evidence suggests that funding community drug or youth initiatives would be beneficial. Three of the proposed projects are in areas in my constituency. I will only have time to refer to two in detail, but all four have similar problems.
The first is the Carrigaline youth initiative. The project aims to divert young people in the town at risk of or currently abusing drugs and-or alcohol to involve them in a needs-based developmental youth work programme. Evidence of need for such a programme in this area is clear. The Garda juvenile liaison office figures for Carrigaline stand at 50 cases for 2000. There is no paid youth work provision in the town. It continues to grow rapidly and its current population is approximately 16,000. A total of 240 houses per year are built in the area. At least one third of the population are young and there is a growing drugs problem in the town. I live only five minutes from Carrigaline. I have a 16 year old brother and I am well aware of the problem.
Ballincollig youth initiative is the second project. The initiative aims to develop a locally-based project which will employ a community drugs worker to work with young people at risk in the area. Ballincollig has one of the most rapidly growing populations in Ireland. More than 50% of the population comprises young people and its age profile is similar to Ballymun and Knocknaheeny. Two recent studies have recorded that 75% to 78% of 12 to 18 year olds in the town have taken their first alcoholic drink and 45% to 50% take a drink regularly. These claims mean that more than 1,000 young people from the town are drinking regularly. A total of 22% of young people said that they had taken drugs and 6% take them regularly.
Figures break down to show that 500 schoolchildren are engaged in illegal drug activity. I do not wish to be overly dramatic in regard to the problem in Ballincollig, but it does exist. Garda juvenile liaison office figures show approximately 50 cases there last year. There has been an increase in the number of complaints received by local gardaí about young people aged 14 years and upwards who are involved in using and dealing in drugs. Successful prosecutions and drug seizures have taken place in the area and Stop Drugs Now, a local drug counselling group which is open 24 hours a day, has indicated that a substantial number of the complaints it receives come from the Ballincollig area.
The other projects relate to Douglas west in my constituency and Glanmire. The Minister of State is well aware of the difference between the drugs problem in Cork and the capital. Recreational drugs are primarily abused in Cork, but they still present a serious problem. I emphasise that the growth areas of population in Cork are in the satellite towns to which I referred. Many young people and young families are moving to these towns. It is a recipe for disaster if we do not get stuck into these areas in terms of drug treatment. I ask the Minister of State to use his influence to ensure these areas are covered.