Mr. Michael Mason:

It is really, really important there is one element that has kind of been left out and that is lived experience and the voice of those with lived experience, whether that is families or service users and they are not, at the moment, at the policy level or the invitation level. We have been excluded from that and that needs to be implemented as well. It was mentioned at the very beginning that the committee would have a report in nine months and there is talk about a new national drug strategy that is coming in less than six months now. There is no input from those with lived exeprience whether from families or from people who use drugs. They are not in there as part of it and that it really important.

PUP, Parents Under Pressure, is an absolutely fantastic programme. There are other evidence-based programmes run right around the country, whether it is five step, CRAFT, and lots of different ones. There are ones that Senator Black, in the RISE Foundation, runs. There are programmes that Mr. Slattery runs in Limerick. However, it is all post-coded. A question was asked there whether we are seeing people from every part of society. We are. Families need support and different families need different support. Different support needs to be available everywhere and that is really important. It cannot be post-coded. It has to be available right throughout the country and available to everyone.