The UK government has committed to providing £1m in funding for a new addiction treatment centre in Derry.
Funding for an addiction centre in the city was first outlined in the New Decade, New Approach deal, which restored devolved government to Northern Ireland in January 2020.
It will be provided when a business case from Stormont's Department of Health is submitted and approved, said Northern Ireland Office Minister Steve Baker.
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Mr Baker told a Westminster parliamentary committee on Wednesday that the government was "committed to supporting the Derry-Londonderry addiction centre and providing it with that £1m" agreed as part of the political deal.
He added that responsibility for developing the plan would lie with Stormont because health was a devolved matter.
Mr Baker said the NIO had been advised by the Stormont health department that "it is too early to say how a lack of an Executive will impact its proposals" for the addiction centre.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood advocated for the inclusion of a treatment centre in Derry during the NDNA negotiations and has called on the Department of Health bring forward a business case to develop the Northlands Centre as soon as possible.
The Foyle MP added: “There is not a family in our city, or anywhere in the North that has not been touched by the scourge of addiction. Countless lives have been cut short and families left devastated due to this terrible illness.
“I have heard so many heartbreaking stories from families who have tried to get help for their loved ones before it’s too late, but have failed due to the lack of treatment options available.
“Facilities like the Northlands Centre are invaluable to our communities, to put it simply, they save lives, but they cannot expand the work they do without the proper funding in place.
“Substance abuse costs the North around £1.5bn annually, by providing proper funding to centres like Northlands, we can invest in people with significant returns for our health and justice sectors and our society.
“Northlands has shovel-ready plans for a new centre of excellence that would help them expand the crucial work they do, providing lifelines to those in crisis.
“We need to see the Department of Health recognise that Northlands is best placed to deliver this treatment centre in Derry and support their plans to grow.”
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