Standoff as drugs task force fights suspension by Department of Health

The North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force has called on minister Frank Feighan to reverse its decision to suspend the body. 

An unprecedented standoff has emerged between a local drugs task force and the Department of Health after the department suddenly suspended the body.

The North Inner City Drugs and Alcohol Task Force (NICDATF) said the department had alleged “governance shortcomings” in the organisation, a charge the task force completely rejects.

The NICDATF has written to the Minister of State with responsibility for the drugs strategy, Frank Feighan, calling on him to reverse the decision by this Friday.

Chairman rejects allegations of shortcomings

A statement issued by community representatives in the task force said that if this is not done that the task force “will be obliged to take further steps to defend its good name and reputation”.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the chairman of the task force, Professor Joe Barry, said the task force “rejected out of hand” the allegation.

“We have written to Minister Frank Feighan and asked him to reverse the decision he made and asked him to come back to us by Friday 9 July," the public health academic said.

He said services in the locality, one of the areas hardest hit by the drugs trade and organised crime, had been disrupted as a result of the decision.

Local drug task forces, set up in 1997, are partnership bodies, bringing together statutory agencies and community and voluntary groups and are funded by the HSE.

Task force 'complied with all requirements'

A department letter sent to the NICDATF at the end of last week followed a dispute between officials and the task force over arrangements for the appointment of a new chairperson to replace Prof Barry, who has served for more than a decade.

The statement by community representatives said the department had made allegations “without a shred of evidence”.

It said the only issue the department had referred to was the appointment process for a new chair, but they said the task force had complied with “all the requirements” set out in the handbook covering task forces.

The statement said the department’s decision had “tainted both the personal and professional reputations” of the directors, members and staff of the task force.

The organisation 'would lose independence' 

“The department is also proposing to remove every shred of independence from the task force by taking over the appointment of the chair and the appointment of members,” it said.

It said if the department did not withdraw the suspension by this Friday the task force "will be obliged to take further steps to defend its good name and reputation".

This is thought to include possible legal action, such as an injunction halting the decision. The lawful basis of the department's decision may also be examined.

When contacted, the Department of Health said it expected to issue a media response today.  

The department set up a working group in 2018 to revise the handbook for task forces, a process it said was an important step in the development of a performance management system.

Previously, the department said the HSE had monitoring and oversight responsibility of task forces under its governance framework, including accountability and transparency for public money from the department.