New plans to fight Dublin drug scourge

Dublin City Council is to take a number of new initiatives to fight the problem of drug addiction in the capital.

This announcement by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Michael Conaghan, follows a report from the Merchants Quay project yesterday that was critical of the Government's handling of the problem and the lack of funding available.

Cllr Conaghan says the Government has ignored the problem at every level. He said projects like Merchants Quay should not be left to pick up the pieces.

He vowed to work more closely with this type of project to develop a range of initiatives to reduce the numbers of drug-dependent people on the streets, and to improve the lives of those affected.

He also said that all statutory bodies must “shoulder the responsibility” of fighting this problem and that he personally would try to “itemise and politicise the issues”.