Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

It is definitely our wish. Drafting has been prioritised and the Office of the Attorney General is aware that the Bill must be passed before the summer recess. I hope we can publish the Bill in the next week or so.

The definition of "psychoactive substance" is the one that is causing the most difficulty. One must ensure substances for normal use are not banned. It is intended to refer the Bill, when ready, to the Commission to get its approval under the technical standards directive. We will be using the emergency procedure in this regard. Given that we already obtained consent on the emergency procedure regarding the existing products, I believe we will succeed in obtaining approval.

With regard to other products, the Department of Health and Children is considering the specific issues to which the Deputy referred. The products banned in the past couple of days are some of the most significant on sale.

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