Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le gach Teachta a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht thábhachtach seo ar son bhaill Shinn Féin. I thank all Deputies who have participated in this important debate. The Sinn Féin Deputies tabled this motion because we believe that far too little attention is being paid to the massive problem of drug abuse in society. It has not received the attention it deserves and it is timely that everyone here is reminded of the impact of this problem in every neighbourhood in the country.

In our approach to this debate we have chosen not to attack but to encourage. That must not be lost on the Minister responsible and his colleagues. There must surely be a realisation across this Chamber of the enormity of the challenge to be faced. We know it and we do not underestimate it, nor do we underestimate the difficulties involved. We have been constructive and rather than concentrate on the shortcomings of Government policy and implementation, we have proposed concrete measures to improve the situation. These measures reflect the experience of our activists and elected representatives in the communities worst affected by the scourge of drugs, as well as the experience of people working in the sector. The response of the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, is the typical knee-jerk self-congratulatory amendment that seeks to bury, by weight of numbers on the Government benches, the truth from full public gaze. Shame on him.

In addressing the drugs crisis, it is vital that the response is community led and community driven. When heroin first appeared on the streets of Dublin in the early 1980s, communities were totally abandoned by the State. They had to organise themselves to protect their children from drugs. Very often they were met not only with neglect but with harassment from the State. Some community activists were even imprisoned for trying to protect their children from drug pushers. Over the years, communities built up a huge fund of knowledge and experience about how to address the massive problem of drug abuse in their families and communities. Their input has been vital at every level. The knowledge and experience of communities must be harnessed and those communities must be empowered. In that respect, I commend all those who worked in this area, be they in paid employment or volunteers. In particular, I commend the Cavan drugs awareness group on its recent hosting of the Dublin-based Men At Work at the Ramor Theatre in Virginia, County Cavan.

This is a multifaceted problem requiring a multifaceted response. We have called for more effective policing, specific action to deal with the hugely increased problem of cocaine use and focussed efforts to address poverty, social exclusion and educational disadvantage. It is essential the Government dedicates adequate funding to significantly expand the availability of drug-user treatment and to eliminate waiting lists for treatment. It is unacceptable that there are waiting lists for treatment and there is no excuse for this. It is generally recognised that the methadone maintenance programme is limited both in scope and in geographical area and there is far too much reliance on this programme as the main medical response to heroin addiction. For methadone to be effective in assisting people to become drug-free, it must be used together with a range of other interventions.

The Government needs to expand the spectrum of services available so that all drug users who want to avail of treatment and other services can do so. It should also ensure that drug users have access to the other counselling and medical services they need, without discrimination. These services should be culturally appropriate. It is important that homeless drug users are treated appropriately and preferably within their area of origin. People working in the sector also make the point that providers of mental health services should be open to treating people with dual mental health and drug use problems.

Effective rehabilitation is vital as part of the overall effort to combat drug misuse. There must be a continuum of care for those who have overcome drug misuse and are recovering. Treatment options need to include increased numbers of detoxification beds for recovering users. There needs to be more inter-agency co-operation so people in recovery can rebuild their lives. Health, employment, social welfare and housing needs should be addressed. Too often, families have seen the tragedy of a child who successfully battles against addiction only to succumb once again. In some cases, this results in drug overdose and death, or another statistic to add to the innumerable lives destroyed by drugs. Continuity of care is vital to help avoid such tragedies. There is a need for the development of opiate overdose reduction strategies.

Despite clear evidence that residential drug treatment is effective, severe difficulties remain in accessing treatment. There is an urgent need to end waiting lists for such treatment. Harm reduction is not confined to supporting people in their efforts to break their addiction. Efforts must also be made to minimize the dangers to health posed by drug use. This includes the need for expanded needle exchange programmes to reduce the risk of HIV and hepatitis C infection. These programmes should be extended to cover prisons. The approach of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will not end drug misuse in prisons, but will drive it further underground and increase the danger of HIV and hepatitis C. We should at least note that the Minister addressed the issue in a debate this evening and resisted the temptation to embark on one of his anti-Sinn Féin rants. It is sad that we have so little for which to be thankful.

The Government must get its act together by further increasing the resources available to the Garda national drugs unit, local drugs units and Garda juvenile liaison officers. It should speed up the process of civilianisation so more officers can be freed up to combat the drugs scourge on the front line. The hundreds of personnel and massive funding devoted to the special branch would be better utilised protecting communities from the real threats to their lives and tackling the supply and sale of drugs. When communities have faith in gardaí, when they are seen to be effective in tackling this malignant growth in our midst, people will support them and we will see the beginning of a rebuilding of community confidence in its police force.

The Government amendment is defensive in the extreme. It is depressing that there is no recognition in the amendment, nor in the speech of the Minister of State last night, of the continuing impact of the drugs scourge on real people, families and communities. The Sinn Féin motion does not condemn the Government as such motions often do. It offers a clear analysis of the problem and presents proposed actions. It deserved a better response than this amendment and last night's speech by the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern.

Nobody denies there have been improvements in the way we as a society respond to this problem. However, this has happened in a context where drug misuse has expanded greatly and adversely affects far more people than ever before. The hurt, pain and devastation of families is all about us if we only look and listen. Sadly, there was scant recognition of that in the Government's response to this motion. There was a complacency in the Minister of State's response, even in the face of the evidence he cited about increased use of cocaine. I dispute his contention that substance misuse prevention programmes in schools have equipped all students with knowledge about the dangers of drug misuse. The delivery and effectiveness of these programmes needs to be monitored and assessed. Assumptions by the Minister will simply not suffice.

It was alarming to hear the Minister of State attempt to put a positive spin on the supposedly falling numbers of heroin addicts. The more than 12,000 heroin users in Dublin and 8,000 people receiving methadone are nothing to boast about, yet the Minister of State favourably compared the numbers being treated today with those treated in 1997 as if the increase was a sign of success. That is nonsense.

According to the script distributed by the Minister of State last night, he strenuously rebutted the motion put forward by Sinn Féin. I am glad he had the common sense not to use that phrase in delivering his speech, instead noting the motion and stating that it presented an opportunity for debate.

This debate has been long overdue, but a renewal of the commitment on the part of the Government to address the damage being done to society by the scourge of drugs is also long overdue. I have listened to the contributions made last night and tonight and can say there is much common ground in the Dáil and among statutory agencies, those working at the coalface, including community and voluntary bodies, communities and drug users themselves about how we can move forward. Commitment and drive will be needed and, to that end, I suggest we all strive together. Taking the first step will require support from all Deputies for the motion tabled by Sinn Féin.

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