Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I am not hiding, I am mentioning these issues and it is important that I do so.

The presence of my colleague, Deputy Rabbitte, reminds me of another issue, that everyone has an issue, every community group and lobby group, and I do not hide from them. They are all on my desk, in the basket, and I am not afraid to speak up from the Government benches on the issues that are of concern to me. I hope Deputy Rabbitte does not think I am patronising him when I refer to my presence at St. Dominic's Church, Tallaght, where he gave a fine address to the annual hope commemoration for those who have been affected by drugs.

There is a danger that while some issues grab the headlines — we have had a week of media hype about issues that are of concern to people — others are unmentioned. That includes the point about disability and drugs difficulties and abuse, an issue that affects many groups. In my constituency, the Swan Family Support Group and the Tallaght Rehabilitation Project, whose boards I am on, have made the point that they cannot be forgotten in the midst of everything else. I am a member of the Tallaght drugs task force, with Deputies Rabbitte and Brian Hayes. We are entitled to our politics but it is important that the community sees we are fighting the cause on these issues and are not afraid to raise them. I spoke to every Minister I could find this week and discussed with the Minister of State with responsibility for drugs, Deputy John Curran, the concerns we are trying to articulate. It is important to give attention to the issues that are not getting attention.

There will be always be lobbying. My mailbox is full this morning and my desk is full of e-mails, including some from Limerick. I do not know if Deputy O'Donnell gets some from Tallaght.

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