Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the members of the select committee for allowing me to be here to proceed with Committee Stage of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, which has gone through the Seanad and the Dáil. For those who have not followed the proceedings in both Houses, the purpose of the Bill is to control certain substances that are legal but which will be put on the controlled substance list in the future. They are mainly prescription drugs which are being sold openly on the street. I will not name them all as there are a number of them, but members will know them as Z-drugs, benzos and other relevant Z-drugs in the listing. The purpose of the meeting is to go through the amendments and to answer questions on them, if necessary, and to complete Committee Stage. I thank the Chairman for facilitating this morning's meeting.