We’re spending millions fighting drug abuse

I WANT to take issue with comments made by the Labour Party spokesperson on justice, Joe Costello, TD, at the launch of his party’s submission to the mid-term review of the national drugs strategy (Irish Examiner, October 12).

His attempt to denigrate the huge level of funding given to tackling drug misuse flies in the face of reality.

To date, the Government has allocated or spent:

Over €80m to implement in the region of 500 projects contained in two rounds of plans of the local drugs task forces;

€12.8m under the Local Drugs Task Force (LDTF) premises initiative, which is designed to meet the accommodation needs of community-based drugs projects, the majority of which are in LDTF areas, and

Over €75m to support in the region of 450 facilities and services under the young people’s facilities and services fund. This huge level of funding is in addition to over €220m invested in addiction services by health boards since 1996. Combating drug abuse is a priority for Fianna Fáil in government and I am confident that substantial resources will continue to be targeted at the problem over the coming years.

Billy Kelleher TD

Deputy Government Chief Whip

Dáil Éireann

Kildare Street

Dublin 2