Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

While there may not be enough places for young men such as the one referred to by the Deputy, there are places in Beaumont Hospital and Cuan Dara. There are a couple of dozen beds in private trusts and so on, but those in the medical field decide which cases are priorities. As another question has been asked on the issue of cocaine, in respect of which we commissioned a report, I will leave the matter alone.

The situation is better after ten years. Of course, I would say that, but a NACD survey called A Community Drugs Study: Developing Community Indicators for Problem Drug Use was conducted in the areas most affected by drugs and where the original drug task forces were located. In general, people spoke positively on the issue. The problems have not gone away, but the people surveyed in the communities ravaged by drugs for 15 or 20 years were not quoting me or any politician. They said that facilities, treatment and services had improved and they knew where to go for help which was available at statutory and community levels.

The strategy is not dated. It is due for review within the next two years. It has concentrated on the hardest drugs in the poorest areas and will continue to do so. Other drugs such as cocaine have come along but the emphasis will always be on the opiates and the poorest people who are most affected.

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