Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 13 October 2021

Joint Committee On Health

Impact of Covid-19 on Addiction Services: Discussion

Photo of Neasa HouriganNeasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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The issue of younger people was touched on and I am sure those representing Ballymun, and everyone else speaking here, will have had experience of this issue. When we are talking about grooming in this context, we are talking about young children being involved. Some research implies that children being included in the drug trade can be as young as ten or 11 years old. Can we explore how that aspect relates to services? I ask that question because there is a difficulty with policing and in services when dealing with children of that age. They are, however, being introduced to a whole world of addiction early on. How do each of the witnesses' services address this challenge?