James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be very quick. I understand that the issue of opioids and benzodiazepines which was raised in The Sunday Business Postwas addressed. When I asked parliamentary questions on this issue several months ago, I was surprised by the high percentage of people on medical cards who were on these types of drugs. Is the number of those attending privately the same? Is the number of people on medical cards who have been prescribed these drugs higher in one sector than in the other?

In Wexford we have several charities such as Talk to Tom and It's Good 2 Talk. Do practitioners engage with these charities? Anecdotally, I know that some do and some do not. What is the level of engagement with these charities? Some are section 39 organisations and some are not. Some organisations are doing brilliant work but their availability is ad hoc.