Ms Aoife Bairéad:

The interim report from the Oireachtas committee on drugs helped, in that we feel the issues is at least being spoken about. It seems to be recognised and those issues are reinforced. We are back to and are always in that precarious position of somebody having to decide to do it and who that will be and when will it happen. Obviously, there will be changes but the strength of the arguments in both was there.

One of the recommendations was that the Oireachtas committee be established and it was. There is hope in that the dial has moved somewhat but really, again, I am not sure how that grave responsibility each Department should feel it holds is held by Departments. To me, it is extraordinary that it is not and that it does not feel like a grave responsibility to respond to these issues or to do it in a timely and effective way. As the Deputy said, however, that has not always felt like the case. We have had bursts of change and moves forward but then it stagnates for ten years in respect of funding. It really is about how this issue translates into that sense of responsibility and Government. I am not sure.