Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The Minister is working on the legislation and hopes to bring it before the House as a matter of urgency and as quickly as possible. Once these substances are banned, they are not only banned in head shops. They are banned on Internet sites - they are banned full stop. They are illegal substances.

Deputy Lynch is right - it is a difficult piece of legislation. We hope it will encompass the fact that once we close one avenue, someone will try to find another. The Minister is working on the legislation to take an overarching perspective on how we can deal with those issues. The Garda is working on that basis. We hope to bring the legislation before the House as soon as possible.

See this speech in context