Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)

It is not good enough. The Minister of State said last May, in response to a question, that the working group would publish its review by the middle of the year. He answered the same question in October by saying it would be published in a couple of months. He is saying today that it will be published by the end of the year. When will the review be published? Can the Minister of State give us a clue? His reference to actions 47, 48 and 50 of the strategy was the first hint we got of what the working group might be talking about. Will he give us his opinions on the matter? Has he met the members of the working group? He said previously he would not meet them until they had published the full review, but I think he has a duty to meet them before that.

As the Minister of State is the expert in this area, he should be involved in the process. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, which chose not to answer these questions, should have the expertise in this regard. What does the Minister of State think should be contained in the new structure? What does he think we should concentrate on? He mentioned housing, for which he is responsible, and jobs. People who are trying to come down off drugs can have problems getting housing, such as rented accommodation, and then getting jobs. Getting off drugs is like coming out of prison. We have to find a place in society for such people without any hassle. They should not have to knock on the doors of public representatives to get help. If we get people off drugs, it is in our interest to keep them off drugs. We really have to act on this. If the working group does not report until January and the Minister of State then spends six months reviewing the report, we will still be talking about this matter this time next year.

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