The Government was accused of abandoning a £20 million commitment to fund youth services aimed at drug abuse, and of giving the money to Croke Park instead.

Deputies also heard that a special Cabinet sub-committee, chaired by the Taoiseach and set up by the previous government to deal with drug abuse, had met only once since this Government was elected.

Fine Gael's education spokesman, Mr Richard Bruton, said that the commitment to address drug abuse had disintegrated and the £20 million designated for youth funding had become £1.25 million. "In a year when we have a £20 million commitment to tackle drugs we have instead a commitment to give the same sum of money to Croke Park."

The Minister of State for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Mr Chris Flood, stressed during Question Time that although the subcommittee had met once, this did not mean that its work did not continue. He said that the £20 million for youth services was an "aspiration" of the last government. No finance was approved, no resources were put on the table.

This Government had established the fund and allocated an initial £1.25 million. Future allocations would be determined on the basis of annual assessment.

The Minister said the Government decided that the best way to deal with social exclusion was to reconstitute the Cabinet sub-committee to address disadvantage in the broadest sense.

Mr Proinsias De Rossa, the Democratic Left leader, said the Minister should "come clean" and admit the Government had abandoned a decision made by the previous government to provide £20 million over three years to deal with drugs.

It was an utter disgrace to give the money to Croke Park while there were young people dying in Dublin because of drugs. It was an even greater disgrace because the Cabinet sub-committee was chaired by the Taoiseach who represented one of the areas worst hit by drug abuse.

The Minister denied the Government had abandoned any aspect of the last government's approach. They had "developed well beyond that".

They were committed to dealing with this issue by targeting the underlying causes, which the previous government did not.

Mr Denis Naughten (FG, Longford-Roscommon) asked when the Government had made the U-turn on the £20 million funding because the Minister had stated in the Dail in October that he favoured the funding.

Mr Flood said that the money which the Government indicated would be available had been made available and the Government would continue to implement the local drugs task-force project.

Mr Pat Rabbitte (DL, Dublin South West) said that if the Minister found "that there was nothing left in the bag when all the rest of you were finished he must tell the House now".