857. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding her Department has allocated to drug addiction prevention since 2020. [69096/25]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Minister of State at the Department of Health: In 2024, the total drug-related health expenditure was €172. This represents 51% of the total €338 million spend across the state in the response to drugs. This includes expenditure on drug prevention by the HSE, drug task forces and community-based drug services. It is a priority under the national drugs strategy to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people. Drug prevention is also a recommendation from the Citizens Assembly on Drugs.

The Department has allocated ring-fenced national funding for evidence based drug prevention. In 2023, a first of its kind funding programme to support evidence based drug prevention was launched, providing €1.5 million over 3 years to 5 projects. The Department is collaborating with the Health Research Board and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to undertake a Review of Prevention Systems' in Ireland. Funding of €95,473 was awarded to the HRB to support this work, which will deliver its final report in early 2026.

I am committed to strengthening evidence based drug prevention initiatives under the National Drugs Strategy.

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Dáil Éireann Debate. Question 435 – Departmental data [68684/25] 04 December 2025

453. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding her Department has allocated to drug addiction prevention initiatives in 2024, and to date in 2025. [68684/25]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Minister of State at the Department of Health: The previous National Drugs Strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025 contained the following strategic goal in relation to the prevention of drug use

Strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people.

Under the previous National Drugs Strategy, significant funding was invested in evidence based drug prevention. In 2023, a first of its kind funding programme to support evidence based drug prevention programmes across the country was launched, providing €1.5 million over years to 5 projects. In 2024, €500,000 was provided, with each of the 5 projects receiving €100,000 each. In 2025, €400,000 was provided to 4 of the projects.

In order to inform the successor National Drugs Strategy, the Dept. of Health is working with the Health Research Board and The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to implement the UNODC 'Review of Prevention Systems' in Ireland. Funding of €95,473 was awarded to the HRB to support this work, which will deliver its final report in early 2026.