Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, for coming to the House to respond to this debate. I do not need to tell him that we have very serious problems in Ireland with substance misuse. Obviously, the number one problem is alcohol but all the evidence indicates that the number two problem is the misuse of prescription drugs, particularly benzodiazepines and Z-drugs. Vast quantities of prescription drugs are available on our streets. We have all seen the effect of this in Dublin city centre, in particular, and the serious anti-social activity that goes with it. Street trading and related activity are clearly very intimidating for the public. This behaviour undermines the efforts of health professionals to find a long-term path to recovery for those people who are using drugs. Of course, the practice is damaging to businesses and tourism in the city centre.

There are two principal sources for the prescription drugs. One is the over-prescribing of them in our health service and the second is uncontrolled imports. The current law is very weak in both of these respects. Obviously, benzodiazepines have a very important role to play in the treatment of people with mental health issues but the figures show that, by European standards, we have prescribing rates that are much higher than average. When it comes to imports, in many respects the hands of the Garda and customs officials are tied because of inadequate legislation.

Almost two years ago, when I was in the Department of Health, I initiated a renewed focus on the problem of the overuse of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs. A number of measures were initiated, including a project where the PCRS tracked the prescribing patterns of general practitioners. There was intervention among general practitioners whose prescribing pattern was particularly out of kilter with the pattern among the rest of the general practitioner population. A review of the regulations under the misuse of drugs legislation was initiated and provided several measures to help curtail the availability of the drugs on our streets. These measures included new import and export controls, new possession offences and stricter prescribing and dispensing requirements. The Department conducted consultations with interest groups in the summer of 2012 and took on board any issues raised. The Department amended its plans to reflect this process. Preliminary draft regulations were shown to me before I left office in September of 2012. However, for some reason it took an entire year thereafter for a draft set of regulations to be published on the Department's website.

Over three years ago, the projected date for the completion of the new regulations was the following January. Now, two years later, according to replies to recent parliamentary questions, the date is still next January. It is not clear to me what exactly is holding up the regulations at this stage. The unit dealing with this legislation was among the best in the Department in my experience so I cannot believe the fault lies there. Other senior officials should be well aware of the problem. It is not unknown for these prescription drugs to be traded right outside the front door of the Department on Hawkins Street. The Minister may even have seen this occurring himself.

This is a serious drug problem that can be dealt with effectively. The Government is now two years late with the necessary legislation and it is time this was made a top priority in the Department. I hope the Minister will make it so.

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