The Links project in Inchcore, which was opened by Dublin lord mayor, Catherine Byrne last Friday, places drug addicts with willing local employers. The centre, which caters for 32 men and women, believes a strict work regime offers the best chance of rehabilitation.

"The majority of our funding comes from the Fas community employment scheme but the Health Service Executive only give us 5%, " says Margaret Maher, manager of the centre. Maher has been told by the HSE that the executive itself is not getting any more funds from the government to help anti-drug centres and so it cannot increase its allocation to the Inchicore centre.

"There are 15 drug addicts on a waiting list who we could help if we had the funding, " she said.