AHERN ANNOUNCES £30m FOR ANTI-DRUG SERVICES

In a major U-turn on its anti-drugs policy, the Government is to provide
£30 million over three years for a young people's facilities and services
fund. At least £20 million will be targeted at heroin afflicted areas, thus
re-instating the youth development fund set up by the Rainbow Coalition
last May.

The Taoiseach's announcement, after yesterday's Cabinet meeting, reverses
the Budget provision of only £1.25 million.

Mr Ahern, whose constituency is worst-affected by the heroin problem, had
been subjected to personal and political criticism from Opposition and
local drug task force leaders recently for effectively scrapping the fund.

The Taoiseach said yesterday that the initial £1.25 million provision was
now being increased to £7.5 million this year, to enable the fund to begin
on a sound basis.

The allocations from the fund will be made by the Cabinet subcommittee on
social inclusion, chaired by the Taoiseach. These will take account of a
co-ordinated focus on the needs of disadvantaged areas and the work of the
local drugs task forces, and will be paid directly to the areas of greatest
need through the relevant agencies.

Mr Ahern said the sub-committee had been reviewing the findings of the
relevant Ministers on the extent of the needs of young people in the most
disadvantaged areas. Initiatives were being taken to address aspects of
these needs, including measures to counter early school leaving and to
provide more intensive support for children at risk and their families.

He also announced that the Government had appointed Minister of State, Mr
Frank Fahey, to be Minister of State at the Departments of Education and
Science and Justice, Equality and Law Reform, in addition to Health and
Children, to co-ordinate their approach.

Minister of State, Mr Chris Flood, will develop new procedures to ensure a
more focused and better co-ordinated response by the statutory authorities
to the needs of the most disadvantaged communities.

These will be developed in four pilot areas initially - the north-east
inner city; the canal communities of St Michael's Estate, Dolphin House, St
Teresa's Gardens and Fatima Mansions; Jobstown in Dublin; and Togher in Cork.

Mr Flood has been provided with a budget of £750,000 for this. The pilot
projects will be introduced subsequently in other urban areas of greatest
need.

Reacting to the announcement, the Minister of State for Housing, Mr Bobby
Molloy, said the £30 million for young people at risk was clear evidence of
the Government's commitment to tackle disadvantage and exclusion.

The former chairman of the Ministerial Task Force to Reduce the Demand for
Drugs, Mr Pat Rabbitte, welcomed the Government's U-turn. He said the
Government's previous position was untenable and a reversion to the kind of
unthinking neglect that allowed the drugs epidemic to take root in the
first place.

Mr Rabbitte said it was still unclear whether the Government intended to
seriously pursue the leveraging of equivalent funding from the corporate
sector.

The Fine Gael spokesman, Mr Bernard Allen, welcomed the Government's
"spectacular U-turn" and was particularly pleased that policies
meticulously worked out by the Rainbow Government were finally, being
implemented by this Government.

"I am very disappointed, however, that it took a massive public outcry and
pressure from community groups and Opposition politicians for this
Government and this Taoiseach to realise the true nature and horror of the
heroin crisis in Ireland," he added.

The fact remained that the Government had intended to cut funding for the
youth services fund from £20 million to just over £1 million, Mr Allen said.