Vol. 547 No. 1
56 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the progress made to date regarding implementation of the new national drugs strategy launched on 10 May 2001; the progress which has been made with regard to the extension of the drugs task forces to the regions; the role he envisages for area based partnerships in driving these task forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2548/02]
The National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 aims to tackle the drug problem in the most comprehensive way ever undertaken in Ireland. It contains 100 indi vidual actions under the four pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research.
Since the strategy was launched in May 2001 considerable progress has been made by Departments and agencies to meet the targets set out in the strategy. The interdepartmental group on drugs, which I chair, meets monthly to monitor progress by Departments and agencies in achieving the targets set for them and any obstacles to the implementation of the strategy are brought to light at these meetings. A progress report on the implementation of the strategy will be presented to the Cabinet committee on social inclusion every six months.
The first of these progress reports, which was presented at the January Cabinet committee meeting, highlighted a number of areas where substantial progress has been made. First, the Department of Education and Science is now represented on nearly all local drugs task forces. In addition, it is recruiting two support staff to enable the delivery of substance misuse prevention programmes in all schools over the next three years. Schools in the local drugs task force areas will be prioritised in this context.
Second, it was also pointed out that the Department of Health and Children has established a cross-sectoral committee to develop the ongoing national awareness campaign which was recommended in the strategy. The committee's work is proceeding and it is planned to launch the first phase of the campaign in April. In this context the committee will also be taking on board the recommendations of the first report of the national advisory committee on drugs entitled Drug Misuse Prevention – An Overview of Research, which was published in early December 2001.
Third, the national drugs strategy team is currently preparing guidelines for the operation of the regional drugs task forces which will be disseminated to the various sectors and agencies. Nominations will then be sought. It is planned to have the first meetings of the regional task forces in May. Representatives of the area based partnerships will be invited to sit on the regional drugs task forces and I expect them to play an important part in their ongoing work.
Considerable progress has also been made with regard to increasing the number of methadone treatment places. The number of places at the end of 2001 was 5,865, an increase of over 830 since the start of 2001. Under the national drugs strategy we are committed to increasing that number to 6,500 by the end of 2002.
Work on implementing the various other actions outlined in the strategy will continue during 2002.
57 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation his plans to implement the recommendations contained in the recently published report of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, Drug Misuse Prevention: An Overview of Research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2543/02]
As the Deputy will be aware, the first report of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs entitled Drug Misuse Prevention: An Overview of Research was published in early December 2001. The report found there is no single drug problem with one dramatic solution. Rather, what is called the drug problem comprises varying degrees of involvement with a variety of substances arising from several influences many of which are unrelated to each other. The report calls for both targeted and broadly based programmes to tackle this situation.
The report also recommends that these programmes should focus both on the most damaging forms of misuse – for which social and economic depravation is seen as a predisposing factor – and experimental drug use which is not uncommon to young people from all social backgrounds. In addition, it recognises the importance of programmes that emphasise personal and social development and welcomes developments in the social personal and health education programme in schools.
I am very pleased that many of the recommendations in the report are in line with those in the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 which I launched in May of last year. The SPHE programme is being increasingly delivered throughout the second level school system. The strategy aims to have the programme in all such schools by September 2003, with schools in local drugs task force areas being prioritised.
One of the key actions in the national drugs strategy is that an ongoing national awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of drug misuse be developed. The health promotion unit of the Department of Health and Children formed a working group in 2001 to develop this campaign and their work is under way. They are studying the NACD report closely and will be taking on board its recommendations. It is planned to launch the first phase of the campaign by April.
The NACD report also recommends that targeted initiatives to tackle the social origins of drugs problems should be comprehensive and involve inter-agency co-operation and the community. In this context, as the Deputy will be aware, inter-agency co-operation has been an integral part of initiatives in Ireland aimed at tackling social exclusion over the past number of years. In addition, the community and voluntary sectors play an important role – not only in interventions to deal with problem drug use such as the local drugs task forces – but also in the work of area partnerships and the RAPID programme. In addition, the regional drugs task forces which will be in place later in the year will also have representation from the community and voluntary sectors as well as all the relevant statutory bodies.
