In a stern letter to Minister John Curran, the chairpersons of the 14 Local Drugs Task Forces (LDTF) warn current proposals will have a "seriously detrimental impact" on their work.
The letter, obtained by the Irish Examiner, calls on the minister to suspend his plans, which they warn will reduce their function to just accounting to the minister.
"This change will have a seriously detrimental impact on the Drugs Task Forces. Further, the responsibilities envisaged for LDTF chairpersons in the document (the draft drugs strategy) is not feasible and, if introduced as set out, the majority of voluntary LDTF chairpersons have confirmed they will resign from their current position," said the letter sent this week.
The threat by drugs task force chiefs to resign is a further blow to the new National Drugs Strategy which, as recently revealed by the Irish Examiner, is already in tatters after a decision by community representatives to pull out of negotiations because of their concerns. Their protest was prompted by the minister’s decision to wind up the National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST), which oversees e34m in funding for drug addiction services. Their concern has been echoed by the task forces.
While task forces are open to "fundamental changes", including "more effective" ways of operating, the minister is told his office’s plans on their "future role and function are unacceptable". Reducing their role from coordinating drug addiction services to accounting to a department on expenditures was a "fundamental change".
Ahead of a crunch meeting today with community representatives, Mr Curran said he was not aware of warnings of resignations from any of the local drug task forces. He would have "huge concerns" about such developments, as these task forces were central to implementing local strategies.
He said the abolition of the NDST would not affect community project funds.
Source: Juno McEnroe and Cormac O’Keeffe, The Irish Examiner, 02/03/2009
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