EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FAILING IN ANTI-DRUGS PLAN

The Department of Education represents the weakest link in the
multi-agency National Drugs Strategy chain and fails to participate in
local drugs task forces, the Labour Party has claimed.

In its submission to the Government's review of the National Drugs
Strategy, the party declared its support for the strategy but stressed
there were "major gaps" in the prevention, treatment and control of
drug abuse.

Ms Roisin Shortall TD, the Labour Party spokeswoman on education,
described the Department as the "least effective actor" in the model.

"It is our experience that when task forces requested the
participation of the Department of Education, they were offered the
education co-ordinator of the local partnership instead, who has very
limited dealings with the Department," she said.

Ms Shortall said her party wished to see the local schools inspector,
who is attached directly to the Department of Education, participate
in the task forces.

A spokesman for the Department yesterday said two senior officials had
been nominated as contact persons to address education issues brought
to the Department through the education co-ordinator. The Labour
Party's submission also recommends the increased availability of
methadone treatment and the speedy provision of drug treatment centres
in areas identified by local task forces.

The Government's review of the strategy is welcomed by the submission,
which states that since 1996, when the first report of the Ministerial
Task Force was published, the number of heroin addicts had increased
from 3,593 addicts to an estimated 13,000.

An increase in the number of gardai stationed in disadvantaged areas
is supported by the Labour Party, which also suggests that
investigations carried out by the Criminal Assets Bureau should be
extended to middle-ranking drug-dealers.