As the Deputy is aware, my Department has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. The Strategy contains 108 individual actions, under the five pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research. The actions outlined in the National Drugs Strategy are being progressed with the significant input of other Government Departments and Agencies, e.g. Health Services Executive, the Departments of Health and Children, Education and Science, Justice, Equality and Law Reform as well as An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service, the Customs Service and FÁS. All of these bodies are playing important roles in the implementation of the overall Strategy and the structures in place facilitate inter-agency co-operation in that regard.
Towards the end of 2005 I requested that officials of my Department provide an overview of all expenditure directly attributed to drug work across the various agencies. The figure involved in 2005 was in the region of €200m as follows:
Estimate of 2005 Allocations Directly Attributable to Drugs Programmes for Government Departments/Agencies
Department/Agency
|
Allocation 2005
|
|
€million
|
Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs
|
34.00
|
Department of Health and Children
|
2.74
|
Health Service Executive
|
92.75
|
FÁS
|
14.50
|
Department of Education and Science
|
3.78
|
Department of the Environment, Heritage& Local Government
|
0.55
|
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
|
8.67
|
Irish Prison Service
|
5.00
|
An Garda Síochána
|
23.70
|
Revenue’s Customs Service
|
9.24
|
Total:
|
194.93
|
The figures, which should be taken as indicative, relate only to services that are directly attributable to the issue of illicit drugs. Figures for 2006 will be collated at the end of the year and this process will be continued on an annual basis. The estimate does not take account of various mainstream services that help to tackle the issue, as it is not possible to disentangle the element of such funding that is utilised by problem drug users from that aimed at the wider community.
Meanwhile the allocations made from Vote of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs towards the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy since the Department was established are as follows:
Year
|
Allocation
|
Expenditure
|
|
€
|
€
|
2002
|
14,009,000
|
13,467,000
|
2003
|
32,036,000
|
36,463,000
|
2004 *
|
26,756,000*
|
27,510,000
|
2005
|
31,500,000**
|
33,962,000
|
2006
|
43,006,000
|
38,798,152 (to 11/12/06)
|
Total 2002-2006
|
147,307,000
|
|
*Decrease due to transfer of €6.4m for mainstreamed projects to the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
**Original Allocation before Supplementary Estimate.