John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Ring for asking this question because since I was landed into the Department, that is what I have been occupied with in recent weeks.

As part of the process of developing the next national drugs strategy to cover the period 2009 to 2016, the steering group chaired by my Department, which is overseeing the process, is currently completing a comprehensive series of consultation meetings. I am attending as many of those meetings as possible, as I see them as a key part of the process of developing a new strategy. The consultation process includes public consultation meetings at 15 locations nationally; written and e-mail submissions; meetings with relevant Departments and statutory agencies; meetings with key sectoral groups and organisations; focus group meetings; and engagement with the Oireachtas. All 15 public consultation meetings have now been held, with reports on all — except the final meeting in Croke Park — now available on my Department's website, www.pobail.ie. The report from this session will be available within the next week. The feedback received from attendees at those sessions has been favourable and people felt that there was good interaction, with ample opportunity to air their views and opinions.

The meetings sought to identify the concerns of individuals and communities on drugs, the successes of the existing strategy and the gaps that need to be addressed with a view to identifying what the main priorities should be for the new strategy. While there were interesting regional variations, there was a reasonably significant level of consistency in the views expressed at the meetings. Briefly, some of the concerns identified included the level of heroin use outside Dublin and the availability of drugs services generally outside Dublin, addiction to prescription and over-the-counter drugs, the level of acceptance of alcohol abuse in Ireland and the importance of engaging and supporting families, as well as family intimidation in some communities from drug dealers.

In terms of what works well, the following are some of the issues that were identified, increased drug seizures; increased levels of funding that have been provided in recent years, particularly for community-based initiatives; integrated services — where they are in place they appear to work well; the community-partnership approach was also seen to work well; community employment schemes that target recovering drug users; and various individual initiatives in different areas. A number of priorities for the future were identified and they included prevention measures in out-of-school settings as well as in schools; and an increased range and availability of treatment services, with a continuum of care for individuals and an integrated multi-agency approach.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

They also include more widespread availability of methadone, with options to move on from this treatment; a greater focus on rehabilitation of problem drug users; more family support measures; and a more integrated approach to the problems of illicit drugs and alcohol, with some favouring a joint strategy.

With regard to the other elements of the consultation process, the Deputy should note that more than 120 submissions by e-mail and in writing have been received from various organisations and individuals. The closing date for receipt of submissions is next Monday, 30 June 2008.

Most of the meetings with Departments and agencies have been held at this stage, and the steering group has started to meet with key sectoral groups and focus groups. All in all, it is hoped to have the overall consultation process, which will involve about 45 meetings in total, completed by mid-July. Meanwhile, I encourage Oireachtas Members to make an input into the process in their capacity as elected representatives. I am conscious that the current strategy grew out of a political consensus in the late 1990s and I would welcome a continuation of that broad approach. Last week, I attended a debate in the Seanad that afforded Senators an opportunity to contribute to the process and I will meet with the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on 24 September to hear the views of its members. The views of Deputies and Senators will continue to be welcome as the strategy is formulated in the coming months. Following the end of the overall consultation process, work on the finalisation of proposals will continue with a view to having a new strategy developed by the end of the year.

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