Labour pledges €2bn to tackle urban problems
The commitment came yesterday during a pre-election discussion on drugs with representatives of most of the main political parties.
Labour TD Joe Costello said €2bn had been committed to the Rapid Programme by the Government under the last National Development Plan.
“That commitment was jettisoned after the 2002 election. We are committed to put that €2bn into a new Rapid Programme.”
The Rapid Programme was designed in consultation with local communities to combat all the social, economic and environmental issues causing disadvantage.
Mr Costello, who chairs a committee on Dublin’s north inner city Local Drugs Task Force (LDTF), said there were 14 such task forces across the country (12 in Dublin, one in Bray and one in Cork).
He said large urban areas such as Limerick, Athlone and Galway did not have any such body and committed the Labour Party to rectifying this.
He said the party pledged to set up a dedicated minister with sole responsibility for drugs, unlike the present system where the brief is shared with housing.
Fine Gael’s spokesman on drugs, Damien English, said his party hoped to reverse increasing drug usage.
He said a classmate of his had died at the weekend from ecstasy and that the message of the National Drugs Strategy (NDS) needed to get to more people. He promised more programmes to deal with the “cocaine epidemic” and pledged funding running over three or four years to enable projects to plan.
Mr English said Fine Gael would draw up a National Addiction Strategy to replace the NDS, which would include alcohol.
He said the party would be publishing an anti-social behaviour document under which a fund would be set up to provide facilities to young people.
John Gormley, of the Green Party, said they would stop alcohol advertising on television and sponsorship of sports. They would also increase taxes on alcohol.
He said they would give priority to those on treatment to housing.
He said the Government’s initial commitment to set aside 20% of housing developments for social housing had been ignored and they would increase that to 30%.
Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh said there was no point having a NDS unless it was properly resourced. He said there was not enough gardaí attached to the drug squads and that there was not enough support for families of addicts.
In a sometimes passionate contribution, drugs strategy minister Noel Ahern hit out at the “obsession” with resources.
He said his department had a 16% rise in its budget this year, following a 34% hike last year.
“I challenge anyone to go through any Government programme and see if there are increases like that.”
He told members of drug projects attending that they needed to demonstrate value for money.
“You can’t always blame the Government. You have to look at yourselves in the mirror as well.”
