Parliamentarians approved moves by Government to make the National Drug Commission part of the Ministry of Health during yesterday?s session of the House of Assembly.

Health Minister Patrice Minors opened the second reading of the bill entitled the National Drug Commission Repeal Act 2005 and outlined plans to merge the Government quango with the Department of Health in an effort to step up Bermuda?s war against drugs.

Mrs. Minors said the amalgamation of the NDC would allow for better use of funding, increased transparency and community education.

According to Mrs. Minors the merger would allow the NDC and Government to identify a clear strategy and to build stronger relationships in the public and private sectors.

Once the NDC staff become public servants, Mrs. Minors said the organisation would be restructured with guidelines of the Bermuda Health Council. Amalgamation would allow better fiscal management within the organisation and provide for close monitoring of the use of funds with increased accountability, she told the House. Currently the quango receives $2.6 million from Government which it funnels to different drug treatment programmes on the Island. Plans also include setting up an advisory council or non-statutory board to advise the Minister on health promotion and strategies to enhance the educational efforts of the NDC, she said.

Although details of a new strategy to fight drugs was not revealed, Mrs. Minors said restructuring the organisation would allow it to have a better focus in the fight against drugs.

?This move will allow the NDC to work to increased transparency as it develops a holistic approach to prevention, education and promotion,? said Mrs. Minors.

Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley said the move was not supported by the Opposition UBP, and he pointed out that the organisation had failed to fulfill their mandate to curtail drug and alcohol abuse.

Calling on Government to make their plans public and to outline long term and short term plans to combat drug use, Mr. Dunkley said a National Plan would help to guide the community forward in the drugs battle. He said there has been a high staff turnover since 1999 and had been operating without a treatment officer and a research officer ? posts which had been vacant for more than a year.

?Where did the idea for this change come from?? questioned Mr. Dunkley, pointing out that the Ministry of Health budget is over all Government budgets at $147 million, therefore more money could be pumped into the fight against drugs.

Mr. Dunkley said the Ministry of Health has a huge responsibility for the courts, family and children issues, health care, seniors and the Department of Financial Assistance, and was therefore with the amalgamation adding in the prevention of the abuse of drugs and alcohol into Government?s largest Ministry.

?Give us some good concrete reasons to support the change,? said Mr. Dunkley.

He added that the NDC had drafted different plans - in 1996, in 2002 and again in August 2003 which were due to be implemented after Cabinet approval.

?There is a lack of a public plan, without it how are we to set goals and objectives and increase accountability, we?re getting nowhere in the fight against drugs,? he added. ?We need to discuss our plan, without it we won?t get on the road to putting a real dent in this huge community problem.?

Mr. Dunkley said the community and the Government are also unclear of how the Bermuda Health Council is currently restructuring health care in Bermuda since there has not been a public report.

Since the Council Partners Charitable Trust (CPCT), a funding agency was disbanded, Mr. Dunkley said millions of dollars have been lost in the fight against drugs and community partnerships have also been lost. ?Not enough is being done at the moment, we have to look at how we are going to change, identify a clear strategy, and outline what it is that we are going to do to change. Drugs are driving crime higher and higher and just like the abuse of drugs the abuse of alcohol is too high. Too many of our young people are abusing drugs and alcohol.?

Pembroke East Central MP Nelson Bascome, questioned what had happened to the CPCT funds, telling the House of Assembly that the Ministry owes the public an investigation into why this particular organisation folded.

He called for better cooperation of public and private sector organisations.