282. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the research which has been carried out on drug misuse here; if there is ongoing research; the plans there are for more research into the area of drug misuse. [8090/08]

Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Deputy Pat Carey): Research is one of the five pillars of the National Drugs Strategy. The key objective under this pillar is to have valid, timely and comparable data available on the extent of drug misuse in Ireland. In this context, the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) was established in 2000 to advise Government in relation to the prevalence, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and consequences of problem drug use in Ireland, based on its analysis of research findings and information available to it. Details of all published research carried out by the NACD is available at www.nacd.ie

The Alcohol & Drug Research Unit (ADRU) of the Health Research Board (HRB), which acts as Ireland’s focal point for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), also carries out research into problem drug use and full details of its published research is available at www.hrb.ie. My Department also funds the work of the National Documentation Centre, which is managed by the Alcohol & Drug Research Unit of the HRB, and details are available at www.ndc.hrb.ie. [www.drugsandalcohol.ie]

In addition, some research has been carried out at a more local level under the aegis of Local and Regional Drug Task Forces. Research into problem drug use in Ireland is, therefore, ongoing and consideration of future research requirements will form one element of the development of the new National Drugs Strategy 2009-16, which is now underway.

 Vol. 648 No. 2, Written Answers, Tuesday, 26 February 2008