Sinn Féin spokesperson on Addiction, Recovery and Wellbeing, Thomas Gould TD, has today called on the Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and the National Drugs Strategy, Hildegarde Naughton, to reconsider how the recently-announced €3.5million funding to community drug and alcohol services is allocated.

Teachta Gould said:

“I received a response to a Parliamentary Question today, confirming that this funding will be distributed through the HSE. This decision goes to the heart of the issues experienced by Taskforces. The government consistently undermines Taskforces and their role in making localised decisions in funding allocation.

“This funding should have been used to increase Taskforce Core Budgets, as Sinn Féin would do, but is instead further eroding local autonomy.

“This funding could be a step forward in repairing the harm that was done to addiction services during austerity. Instead, it is used to lay clear the government’s agenda of stripping away the role of Taskforces.

“Taskforces have never had their funding restored, and are instead expected to operate on what are often shoestring budgets. Addiction has increased in prevalence over the last decade but there has been no restoration of budgets.

“What is clear from this funding allocation is that the money is there but the government does not place priority in the community addiction sector.

“The HSE is struggling to keep up with the responsibilities they already have – from hospitals to children’s disability services, we have crises. Why are the government insisting on adding the burden of community addiction to their workload when Taskforces are fully capable of handling their role?”