Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)

The figures go across the board. Members do not require reports in this regard and know from personal experience that Ireland has an enormous drugs problem. There is no point in burying one's head in the sand. Parents are afraid, children are dying and people are getting hurt. Some day perhaps, Members will have a proper debate in the House that will deal with the facts. While all Members wish to ameliorate the problem, they cannot continually listen to the recitation of a range of initiatives that are not being implemented.

The review stated that progress has been made in implementing some strategies and in launching some programmes. However, as far as the strategy's overall aim of reducing the number of people on drugs is concerned, it is failing. Regardless of what initiatives have been launched or what sums of money have been spent, more people are on drugs now than when it started. That constitutes failure. One should abandon the self-congratulatory myth that Ireland is doing well as it is far from doing so.

I compliment the Minister of State for the increase in expenditure. However, the level of drugs misuse and the numbers of people on drugs have also increased. Hence, we must increase expenditure rapidly. Those who make millions from drugs every week will not be stymied by an expenditure of less than 10% of their profits. Members must wake up to that. Their financial resources must be matched and war must be declared on them. They must be tackled head on.

The Minister of State noted that at present, 8,000 people are on methadone. This constitutes a doubling of the figures and is viewed as a positive step. How many people have come off methadone? Can that be re-evaluated? While it is good to wean people from heroin, should they not also be weaned away from methadone? It is a failure if most of the 8,000 people on methadone programmes turn out to be those who started on them in the beginning. How many people on methadone live to be 60, 70 or 80? That speaks for itself.

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