Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach should not try to put words in my mouth. I did not say that every young person was experimenting with drugs. I said the report indicated that young people under the age of 15 were trying out drugs. I agree that definitions are important. Cannabis is a gateway drug and leads to other addictions. Some of the facts that have emerged in recent years include a teenager, high on Ecstasy, gouging out his own eye at a party. Parents have taken out barring orders against their drug-addicted children to avoid eviction. A 17 year old Dublin girl, a drug addict, was charged with loitering in a public place with intent to solicit for prostitution. A 16 year old homeless boy begged that he be brought to St. Patrick's Institution for Christmas. Heroin addiction ruined the life of a 16 year old. It caused him to attack his father and wreck his home. This reality was brought to my attention last night at a meeting in Dublin, where many children from the inner city leave the primary system with no hope and find themselves exposed to drugs on a regular basis.

The Taoiseach states he is doing all the work. In 1996 there was a total of 52 gardaí in the Garda National Drugs Unit, of which 47 were operational gardaí. In 2006 there was one more, 53, to deal with what the Taoiseach talks about. The Taoiseach is in favour of everything that helps, as am I. Since I made a proposal for voluntary random drug-testing in schools two weeks ago, it has received strong support from around the country. Pilot schemes could be undertaken in one or two counties, asking the schools to agree to a random drug-testing scheme on a voluntary basis to help reduce peer pressure and the incidence of experimenting with drugs. This proposal would be helpful although the Minister for Education and Science does not agree.

I congratulate the Garda Síochána but the problem is out of control in some areas. The price of cocaine is dropping due to a flood of it on the market. It is addictive. Fine Gael will support any action taken. Does the Taoiseach support voluntary random drug-testing and will he give it his imprimatur?

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