Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I thank my colleague, Deputy Rabbitte, for sharing his time. This is an appropriate occasion for a review of the national drugs strategy and the 2005 mid-term review as this day next week the lights on the Christmas tree at the Hope monument which is at the junction of Seán MacDermott Street and Buckingham Street will be lit. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Diarmuid Martin, will perform the ceremony. This is an important annual event in the area where hundreds of people died from drug abuse in the 1980s, 1990s and up to the present.

I join with those who have commended Deputy Rabbitte who, as a Minister of State, established the initial drugs strategy and identified the key necessity to ensure a multi-agency approach between the statutory and health and education and justice agencies and to include community groups and local politicians. The strategy package included tough legislation dealing with the supply and control of drugs, the proceeds of crime and the establishment of the Criminal Assets Bureau. A significant momentum was established but I do not believe the national drugs strategy from 2001 to 2008 retained that momentum. A conservative estimate of the value of the illegal drugs industry is well in excess of €1 billion. While use of hard drugs was confined to Dublin, there is now a nationwide network which means drugs are readily available throughout the length and breadth of the country along with the associated violence.

Cocaine use is a serious drug problem and its distribution is nationwide. It has arrived on the scene during the time of the drugs strategy but no corrective measures have been taken in time to deal with the problem.

I could not believe my ears when I listened to the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív speaking about the wonderful work of the RAPID programme and the dormant accounts funds. The Minister must realise that the national development plan funding of €2 billion was to be invested in disadvantaged areas the length and breadth of this country. All the preparatory work had been done in these areas and the projects had been identified. However, the fund was cannibalised by the Government after 2002 and the scheme was never introduced. The hundreds of millions of euro funding coming from the dormant accounts fund became a political slush fund for the same Minister, rather than being part and parcel of a coherent, holistic approach to dealing with the drug problem. As a result, the local drugs task forces have been deprived of long-term planning because the resources were not available. They have been operating from hand to mouth. This situation must not continue. I compliment the Minister of State with responsibility for drugs and I know he will do a good job. The new strategy will cover from 2009 to 2016 and new pillars are in place. I am confident that under the new Minister of State there will be a new commitment which is required to ensure that the resources are provided and to avoid the incoherent approach which dogged the last strategy and caused it to be a failure.

See this speech in context