Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. I was present in the House for some time this evening and I was struck by the overall agreement in the House about the significant difficulty we have. We must try to solve the issue together. The Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, is aware for a long time of the serious problems that exist in Dublin but they also exist in other parts of the country. It is extremely important that we all act together in that regard.

I am conscious of the front-line staff who must deal with desperate drug situations. That is something on which we probably do not reflect enough. In addition, there are all the sad family situations that have developed around the country due to drug abuse, and all the heart-breaking scenarios that occur. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd mentioned children whose parents have got hooked on drugs or where there are difficulties and they go through a very challenging period. They must be looked after as they need to be helped.

Fianna Fáil is supporting the Bill. It is extremely important that it is at the top of the political agenda. Many good points were made in this evening's debate on all sides of the House. It has been said that there is a real focus on the issue now and that it will not be subject to political point scoring from any side. That is as it should be.

The main objective of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill is to amend the Schedule to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 by adding to it a number of substances to help law enforcement authorities to deal more effectively with the illicit trade in those substances, which is a major problem around the country, not alone in the big urban areas but in many other parts of the country. The political system must come to terms with the issue and find a better way of dealing with it.

Reference has been made over and again to the Z drugs, which is a relatively new problem we must deal with as well.

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