Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)

That sounds very good, but grandparents are the ones who must pick up the pieces when they become the primary carers and educators of children whose parents have been caught up in addiction. At the weekend I spent some time at the Irish Bishops' Conference on alcohol and drug abuse in parishes and communities. I noted that many of the people who spoke were grandparents and parents. Many of these mentioned the difficulties of accessing any kind of programme to help them deal with the challenges of bringing up their grandchildren. They find they are being sent from one agency to another. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that this is dealt with in the new national drugs strategy.

The Minister named some of the relevant agencies. Some of the people I spoke to at the weekend did not have a clue what these agencies were. These are the people who are at the heart of all this confusion. I ask the Minister to accept there is real concern out there among families, particularly grandparents, and ensure this is taken into account in the new national drugs strategy. These people should be dealt with fairly and the agencies made available to them so that they are not sent from one agency to another.

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