Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

I wish to raise two issues. The first concerns the customs Bill, which is to consolidate and modernise national legislation relating to the administration of the Customs Service. From the outset, both Customs and the Garda Síochána must be congratulated on recent seizures of drugs.

I wish to suggest one practical way in which Customs could be helped. In this country - I believe it would happen nowhere else - the two main ports have one scanner, which alternates between the two ports. I have raised this issue with the Minister of State with responsibility for drugs policy. In the interests of intercepting drugs coming into the country, and we are led to believe that only one in ten shipments is detected, I suggest the Government would provide a second scanner so that Customs and the Garda Síochána would not be chasing their tails. The importers and the drug lords know where the scanner is-----

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