467. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the initiatives her Department has in place in relation to the prevention of drug addiction in young people [73673/25]

468. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the funding her Department has allocated to drug addiction prevention initiatives for each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form. [73674/25]

Minister for Education and Youth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 467 and 468 together: My Department currently provides funding to five drug prevention initiatives; Blanchardstown Early School Leavers, Familibase, Limerick Youth Service - Community Drug Education and Prevention Project, Matt Talbot Adolescent Services and Crinan Youth Project. Three of these initiatives are co-funded by other government departments and agencies, where my Department is not the principal funder.

In addition, my Department also provides funding towards an Education Officer post in the Talbot Centre in Dublin, a drug prevention initiative.

The funding allocated by my Department to these drug prevention initiatives between 2020 and 2025 is outlined in the tables below.

The Deputy might note that the matter of drugs prevention is also addressed within the subject area of Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) across primary and post-primary education. Learning outcomes that relate to substance misuse and addiction are included in the health-related strands within the SPHE curriculum.

The following initiatives are funded by through the Youth Affairs Unit, which transferred to my Department in 2025