Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I might make a recommendation after the meeting, but as we go through this process, perhaps a liaison to the committee from each Department would be useful for private sessions when we could have additional discussions on drafting and so forth.

Much of this revolves around the legal and policy approaches, but a great deal relies on what Senator Seery Kearney discussed. Addiction often has to do with poverty, disadvantage, the medication of trauma and so on and becomes concentrated in certain areas. Like those in addiction, people who are not involved end up experiencing the negative impacts as well. Mr. Ryan and I worked hard on the implementation board for Ballymun. In essence, that was a political choice because we lobbied and pushed hard. Some areas were included while other areas were not, but I accept that that is our system. Cherry Orchard was included for a reason, as were other areas. We need to look at a data-driven system. Let us take the top 100 most disadvantaged EDs in the whole country and not leave it up to politicians to lobby good, bad or whatever. When somewhere falls below a certain level of disadvantage, then X happens and a whole range of packages are triggered. These would involve the respective local authority, Tusla, the HSE, etc. It would almost be like having a crack team going into an area until we improved outcomes there. For 30 or 40 years, we have had partnerships, implementation boards and inner city task forces. The policy approach has been far too fragmented, but it is right to say that this is a multidepartmental issue. This is my suggestion and is something that I will push throughout the process because I have seen how difficult it is to establish an implementation board for just one area.

The community safety partnerships are what we have. They have been passed and are important because we will have to use them. However, all of the previous interventions that I have seen fail - I am referring to area-based partnerships, which are in many ways the same as what we are discussing now - did so because two particular agencies were absent from them, those being, the HSE and Tusla.

I have to call that out. Consistently, over time, senior officials come to the first few meetings, then a different official comes, and then they stop coming altogether. I am talking about decades here and I am not naming anybody.

The HSE has to be involved in these area based structures because you are spending billions of euro and sometimes that voice is not at the table. Joint policing committees are a good example as well. I say that as advice rather than criticism. When the CSPs are up and running, the HSE and Tusla cannot drift away from them. I thank the Chair.