Nineteen Government departments and agencies have a role in the national drugs strategy but there is no minister of state with specific responsibility for a growing health and criminal problem, the Dáil has heard.

Sinn Féin’s Jonathan O’Brien appealed to Tánaiste Joan Burton to appoint a minister to the task as it was “the first time in 21 years the Government is without a minister or minister of state with responsibility” for the issue.

Ms Burton replied that the topic can be kept under review. Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, "as the senior Minister, is taking a dedicated personal interest in it. That is significant and important."

She added that “I also take a detailed interest, as does Minister of State Kevin Humphreys”.

Mr O’Brien told the Dáil there had been a recent spike in muggings and robberies in Cork, which gardaí said is in part due to drugs.

The Cork North-Central TD said his county now had 500 drug addicts when 10 years ago there were 20.

He said that nationally there were about 12 drug-related deaths every week and nearly 5,500 deaths from drug overdoses since last year.

“Eight out of 10 such deaths were young men, with more than half having mental health issues,” he said.

Task force cuts

Describing the Government’s response as “less than adequate”, Mr O’Brien said it had cut funding for drug task forces by 37 per cent, putting increased pressure on community support groups.

Since 2011, he added, 108 gardaí had been pulled from drugs squads nationally.

The issue has been repeatedly raised in the Dáil, and on Tuesday Taoiseach Enda Kenny told Labour TD Pat Rabbitte the Government was giving consideration to the appointment of a new minister of state.

Mr O’Brien said that with a “national drugs strategy with 63 action points, and which covers 19 Government agencies and departments, it is important to have somebody with sole responsibility for dealing with this issue”.

Ms Burton said significant progress was being made. The Department of Social Protection had ring-fenced 1,000 places in community employment schemes for people in rehabilitation with addiction issues, and “there has been no cut in resources in 2015”.