...Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Colm Burke): I am delighted to announce a further investment from budget 2025 for health and well-being, and the national drug strategy...

For the ongoing implementation of the national drugs strategy, I am happy to unveil an additional €4.2 million in budget 2025. With this additional funding I want to ensure that drug and alcohol services are available in all parts the country for those who need them. The money will enhance access to services for high-risk drug users for the prevention of drug and alcohol use among children and young people and for minimising the harms of drug use. The measures in this funding include community-based drug services to be expanded by €2 million, with three WTEs to meet increased treatment demand. In addition €1 million will provide for 24 WTEs in order that integrated community alcohol treatment services can be rolled out on a national basis. New services will be established in HSE Dublin and midlands and HSE in Dublin and south east. Existing services will be expanded to ensure full geographic coverage across all health regions. The plan is for €1.8 million to be provided for the service in 2026. In total an extra 34 whole-time equivalents will be employed to deal with drug addiction and alcohol addiction which is a very welcome development.

Overall this budget is good in respect of providing the necessary care and treatment required by people who have addiction problems.….

Deputy Thomas Gould: Go raibh maith agat. When I opened the budget book yesterday, I could not believe my eyes. I checked and rechecked it, and nowhere in the budget book was the word "addiction" mentioned. In a year when the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs had recommendation after recommendation for increased funding and a priority for addiction services, this Government either forgot or could not be bothered to include any such reference in the budget book. This is the first time this has happened since I was elected, but it is not the first time this Government has forgotten about those working in and those benefiting from addiction services. Time after time, from section 39 pay increases to the failure to restore task force funding, those in addiction and those who love them know that they are being forgotten about by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. This is not just about individuals but about communities, families and people's futures. It is all about investing in recovery from and tackling addiction and supporting communities. Sinn Féin would have invested more than €35 million aimed at properly transforming our resource and community addiction sector and actually beginning to recover our communities, our families and our people...