James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill, the aim of which is to make illegal the illicit trade in certain drugs that have become part of the illegal drug trade in recent years, which is fuelling much of the gangland violence and is leading to social breakdown in communities. Drug abuse continues to be a scourge of individuals, families and communities, but the underlying issues have been ongoing for decades. When the television focuses on the violence, which tends to come in waves, attention is focused on it, but when the violence leaves television screens, very often the communities that are affected are forgotten about once again.

The role of the Minister of State and the Department of Health should not stop with the enactment of the legislation. The Bill is important in terms of fighting gangland crime, but that is not a function of the Department of Health which has an important role to play in communities above and beyond drug legislation. Children, young adults and teenagers are the most vulnerable in terms of drug use and advantage is being taken of them. Vulnerable families are most at risk. We have heard of children as young as 13 years of age earning up to €300 to act as couriers, which is a fortune to any 13 year old, but to one who feels he or she and his or her family have been abandoned by society, who consider the system as having failed them and who see deprivation all around them, €300 is like winning the lotto. When drugs enter a community, they do so as hope leaves. Drugs splinter communities. The Department of Health has a critical role to play in addressing the cultural, social and environmental issues surrounding drug use and, in particular, in addressing deprivation in communities.

I accept the Department does not run the prisons, the justice system or the Garda, but it has a significant and critical role in terms of intervention in order that young people do not end up in those systems. Prisons are full of people with mental health problems, those who cannot read or write and those from towns and inner city communities who have been forgotten. If one took out those categories of people from prison, there would not be too many left. That is not to excuse criminal behaviour, but all too often it is the drug addict earning €200 for a drug run, carrying €20,000 or €30,000 worth of drugs, who ends up before the courts rather than the drug lords. Too often the drug barons remain free.

The Department has the opportunity to provide public health information on drug use, to provide mental health and public health intervention teams and to provide family supports. Very often in communities affected by drugs the resources are limited and people do not have the knowledge or wherewithal even to begin to look for what they need. It is of the utmost importance to provide a public knowledge information system in order that people will be made aware of the resources that are available to help them and for the resources to be targeted in that regard.

We know from the facts and figures available that, during the period of austerity, it was the poor and the young who suffered disproportionately in terms of cuts and emigration. It is also those demographics that are the most vulnerable to mental health issues – depression, suicide and self harm. The undeniable result is that communities feel abandoned, and that suits drug gangs who need a hopeless and vulnerable community to take advantage of to fuel their business. Inner city communities should not be defined by a subset of drug dealers. Communities are crying out for help and the Department of Health has a critical role to play in providing the help. Often, they are strong communities but they feel disempowered. The Department can play an important role in re-empowering communities by providing them with the supports they need in terms of early intervention, mental health supports and public health supports in order that they no longer feel abandoned and have the wherewithal to stand up to the gangs.

However, the communities cannot do it on their own. They need support and not just for today or tomorrow. They need multi-annual support. When communities were given support, they could take on the gangs, rebuild themselves and rekindle connectivity, given that the gangs thrive on breaking down such connectivity. I urge the Minister of State, in conjunction with her fellow Ministers, to intervene further and to introduce the necessary task force and provide the help and support to tackle the problem, not just now or when the violence is gone from our television screens. We need clear commitments and stepping stones for the next five to ten years. Immediate interventions are required but so too are intermediate and long-term interventions to support communities.

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