Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State on her first appearance before the select committee. This is the first meeting I have attended in a long time. I also congratulate her on introducing the Bill. I agree with the sentiment expressed by previous speakers that this is not the final answer to the problem as it is a highly involved, complicated and broad-based issue that affects the lives of many people and communities in a very serious way.

In a previous incarnation, I was involved in a ministerial drugs task force which had access to what became known as the Zurich and Amsterdam experiments, the St. Gallen exercise and other similar approaches. Over the years, everybody has tried in various ways to identify how best to deal with this growing problem which is having a much more serious impact on society than was first thought.

Significant resources have been used in attempting to apply the law. I am still in favour of trying to ensure as best we can that we do not legalise illegality. This proposal is a controlling exercise and it is absolutely necessary for the reasons stated by the Minister of State. That in itself will not solve the problem but I agree with Deputy O'Reilly and my colleague that our society has been damned by the extent of the abuse of drugs over the past number of years. It has increased and continues to increase and many people make significant money out of other people's misery. As the Minister of State said, many young people have lost their lives ridiculously chancing their arm in social situations following which they end up either seriously injured or dead. Everybody talks about it at the time and everybody is appalled at what has happened. However, this happens throughout society and it is not restricted to one sector of society. People who should know better find themselves in this situation.

I welcome the Bill in the sense that it is the first step to deal with, and control, this problem. It will also be the conduit whereby there will be ongoing focus on the issue. There will be a continuous public review and internal review through medics working in the business, through GPs and through the Department to check how the legislation is being applied and whether it is working in the way it is intended, to embrace the beneficial aspects and to review the aspects of it that do not appear to work and do not prove to be beneficial. The review is important. It needs to be continuous and updated on a regular basis. Unlike reviews, which, for example, in the European context can be undertaken after ten years when officials suddenly discover that a scheme did not work, this review should be conducted annually and the legislation updated accordingly in order that one is always ahead of oneself.

I compliment all involved in the introduction of the Bill, and particularly the Minister of State for bringing it to the House. I hope it will deal with the issue it is intended to deal with. As Deputy O'Reilly said, we have to deal with the underlying societal effects of deprivation that lead to young people, in particular, becoming reliant on drugs. It is not good for society. It is devastating for the economy, the health service, the well-being of individuals and those who are directly affected by drug abuse. Like all addictions, efforts made to control this are welcome and I hope as a result of the legislation we will be able to evaluate on a regular basis its beneficial impact and, if required, make changes.