Minister Feighan convenes oversight committee to drive the implementation of the national drugs strategy for 2021-2025
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 5 December 2021
- Last updated on: 7 December 2021
The Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD, convened the first meeting of the oversight committee to drive the implementation of the national drugs strategy for 2021-2025 on Friday, 3 December.
Minister Feighan said:
"I recently announced six strategic priorities for the remaining four years of the strategy (2021-2025), as part of the [external-link https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/4e5630-reducing-harm-supporting-recovery-2017-2025/ | mid-term review. ] These priorities will strengthen the health-led approach to drug use and align with the EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan. I have created new working groups to drive the implementation of the priorities. These groups will strengthen the inter-agency partnership approach and widen the involvement of civil society in developing national policy."
Minister Feighan welcomed the independent members of the oversight committee who will chair the working groups for each strategic priority. These are:
- Dr Gerry McCarney, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with special interest in substance misuse
- Pat Bennett, retired CEO Midlands Community Healthcare Organisation
- Dr Fiona Fenton, consultant adult psychiatrist in national drug treatment centre
- Ciaran Reid, CEO Louth Leader Partnership
- Retired Judge Ann Ryan, drug treatment court
- Dr Sarah Morton, director of the community partnership drugs programme, UCD
The Minister said:
"I am providing independent leadership to ensure the accountability of all stakeholders. These independent chairs will bring impartiality, insight and experience in addressing the challenges of drug and alcohol use."
The committee heard details of the additional funding of €6m for frontline drug and alcohol services in Budget 2022.
Minister Feighan said:
"I am prioritising two funding streams to start in early 2022: €1.5m to enhance community-based drug and alcohol services and €0.5m for a programme to strengthen harm response responses to cocaine, including crack cocaine. The funding will be distributed though CHOs and drug and alcohol task forces."
The new oversight committee includes representatives of community and voluntary networks, drug and alcohol task forces, government departments, the HSE and the HRB. There are also an academic expert and a clinical expert on the committee.
The full list of members and terms of reference for the oversight committee are listed below.
Notes
Membership of the national oversight committee 2021-2025
| Sector | Body | Name |
| Chairperson | Minister for State for the National Drugs Strategy | Frank Feighan TD |
| Statutory | Department of Health, Drugs Policy and Social Care division | Siobhan McArdle |
| Statutory | Dept of the Taoiseach | Martina Shaughnessy |
| Statutory | Health Service Executive (alcohol) | Dr Aisling Sheehan |
| Health Service executive (drugs) | Dr Eamon Keenan | |
| Statutory | Health Research Board/chair of research ctte | Brian Galvin |
| Statutory | Dept of Health controlled drugs/chair EWET | Anne Marie Seymour |
| Statutory | Department of Justice | Ben Ryan |
| Statutory | An Garda Síochána | John O’Driscoll |
| Statutory | Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth/ TUSLA | Ciara Pidgeon |
| Statutory | Department of Education | Dalton Tatton |
| Statutory | Department of Social Protection | Dr Devesh Singh |
| Statutory | Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage | Dr Eamon Watters |
| Community and voluntary networks/civil society | Citywide, NVDAS, UISCE and AN Other | Anna Quigley |
| Tony Duffin | ||
| Andy O’Hara | ||
| AN Other | ||
| Local service planning and coordination | Network of drug and alcohol task forces | John Bennett |
| Brid Walsh | ||
| Independent | Chair strategic implementation groups | Dr Gerry McCarney |
| Pat Bennett | ||
| Dr Fiona Fenton | ||
| Ciaran Reid | ||
| Judge Ann Ryan | ||
| Dr Sarah Morton | ||
| Experts | Minister’s nominees | Professor Catherine Comiskey |
| Dr Bobby Smyth |
Terms of reference for the NOC 2021-2025
- to give leadership, policy direction, prioritisation and mobilisation of resources to support the strategic implementation groups
- to measure performance in order to strengthen the delivery of drugs initiatives and to improve the impact on the drug problem
- to monitor the drugs situation and ensure that the lessons drawn from evidence and good practice inform the development of policy and initiatives to address the drug problem oversee
- to ensure good governance and accountability by all partners involved in the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy
- to oversee early warning and emerging needs and research sub-committees
Strategic priorities for 2021-2025 and chairs
1. Strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people; chair Dr Gerry McCarney
2. Enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community, chair, Pat Bennett,
3. Develop integrated care pathways for high-risk drug users to achieve better health outcomes, chair, Dr Fiona Fenton
4. Address the social determinants and consequences of drug use in disadvantaged communities, chair, Ciaran Reid
5. Promote alternatives to coercive sanctions for drug-related offences, chair, retired Judge Ann Ryan
6. Strengthen evidence-informed and outcomes-focused practice, services, policies, and strategy implementation. Chair Dr Sarah Morton