Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My apologies for having to leave. I thank the witnesses sincerely for being here today and the work they do.

Mr. Slattery articulated very eloquently the impact and experience of a family member when somebody they love suffers from an addiction. It is horrific. I commend all the guests for the work they do on family support and in supporting people in addiction to move onto a road of recovery. It is incredibly important work and it is largely unseen. I acknowledge it and thank the guests for it.

I served in a voluntary capacity as a director of a family resource centre. When the guests talk about the challenges with funding and recognition as stakeholders, I get it. I support their call for adequate funding and proper recognition as stakeholders.

Unfortunately, I have been back and forth because we have had other meetings today and the Seanad is sitting. That is why I was not here, but all this is recorded and I have all the opening statements. I will be working with the rest of the committee, so please do not take my going in and out as my being in any way disrespectful. It is not intended that way at all.

I have some questions and I will put them to each organisation. On the new drug strategy, they very clearly called out the stigma issue. It is real and there is no doubt about that. There are models we could learn from and adopt. Prevention and early intervention are not focused on enough. That is a missed opportunity, and as a committee we have a real chance to strengthen this.

Mr. O’Hara very clearly called out the stigma issue. There is no doubt but that it is real. In society, there is a huge stigma attached to addiction. What suggestions, if any, are there in this regard? I am not asking for a magic-wand answer. Are there societies or jurisdictions with models we could learn from, suggest including and adopt?

Ms Harris mentioned prevention. Early intervention and prevention are just not focused on enough. This is a missed opportunity in this regard. As a committee, we have a genuine opportunity to put more emphasis here, while not detracting from doing so in other areas. If there is one thing the organisations believe we should be seeking to prioritise in terms of prevention and early intervention, I would love to hear from them about them. Mr. O’Hara might respond first.