DRUGS task forces are operating in eight of the 10 areas nominated in Dublin, the Dail was told.

The Minister of State, Mr Pat Rabbitte, who is chairman of the ministerial task force on drugs, added that "for various reasons they were not yet operating in Crumlin and Ballymun."

The remit of the local task force was to prepare a plan for its own immediate community, whether it was a local facility for the treatment of drug abusers or a particular category of staff required to work in the community or recreational schemes.

They, in turn, would give that to the national drugs strategy team, which would validate their applications.

He said there had been "a visible lifting of morale" in areas which had felt neglected over the past 10 years.

Mr Rabbitte was replying to the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, who urged that funding be directed to those in greatest need. Deputies would understand that certain areas had been living with the drug problem for many years. But, unfortunately, the money never seemed to be focused on those who needed it most.

Money was being poured in to some areas through a variety of agencies, but the problem was worsening, said Mr Ahern.

Mr Rabbitte recalled that the initiative arose from a recommendation in the first report of the ministerial task force on measures to reduce the demand for drugs.

Local drug task forces were being established in 12 areas in Dublin, and in Cork north city. They were made up of representatives of the statutory, voluntary and community sectors.

The Government, he added had allocated £10 million to support the implementation of development plans.

Mr Rabbitte said that the ministerial task force was currently preparing its second report, dealing with the misuse of non opiates, such as cannabis and ecstasy which was a nationwide phenomenon.

Mr Ray Burke (FF, Dublin North) said that drug abuse was a national problem. "We are all, as members of the House, conscious in our own constituencies, in our own towns and villages, of the problem of drug abuse, of the loss of young lives."

He said that hope for the future was in the areas of prevention and education.

Mr Rabbitte said he accepted that drug abuse was not restricted to the areas identified in the report. However, the report was absolutely satisfied that the heroin problem was a Dublin phenomenon.

The question of drug misuse outside Dublin was a question of non opiate abuse. An entire section of the report was devoted to prevention and education measures.