Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister of State every success in her very important work and we welcome this legislation. As a party, we have been highlighting the need for this legislative improvement for some time. I echo the words of my colleague, Deputy Rabbitte, in her excellent contribution regarding the need for awareness. The local voluntary centres and organisations must be supported in the very good work they do in our communities. I will refer to alcohol and drug abuse in my constituency. Unfortunately, Cavan and Monaghan have a serious problem with addiction to heroin and other psychoactive substances. I recently had the opportunity to meet with the chairman and manager of the Cavan and Monaghan drug and alcohol service, a voluntary organisation which is given some support by the HSE but not enough. That is an issue I will be following up with the Minister. I have done so already through parliamentary questions. The funding it gets from the drugs task force has been static for quite a number of years and unfortunately the problem and the number of people it is treating is increasing. It badly needs additional resources to carry on even the level of service it has at present. A small number of people are doing excellent work trying to provide a service with the support of some pharmacists and GPs. I welcome the work of those clinicians. It is an area that has not had the provision of a good statutory service to deal with drug and alcohol addiction. We need to make progress in that area and I hope the Minister of State will be given the additional resources to distribute through the HSE and other fora to ensure the work of these voluntary groups is supported in a meaningful way so they can provide the services that are needed.

What was clear to me at the meeting I had with those people and from ongoing contact with them is their concern about the growth of the problem. It is a very serious issue. I heard other speakers during the course of this debate refer to the proliferation of psychoactive substances which are a real problem. It must be taken into consideration that my constituency, which is made up of the two southern Ulster counties, has a long border with Northern Ireland. For historical and other reasons, it is not easy to police that area. Criminals can cause damage in our jurisdiction and be quickly gone from it. They are not apprehended to the extent we would like to see. There is that additional problem in the area. One of the issues brought to my attention by members of this group was that while they primarily see adults, they do their best to make a part-time counsellor available for those under 18. One other issue they feel strongly needs to be addressed is the lack of residential homelessness support services. When they are trying to support a homeless person, they often have to try to access accommodation in a local B&B. That can be fine in the short term but proper residential services for people who have particular addiction problems are needed. There are so many areas that need to be tackled and given additional resources if we are to have meaningful progress and try to counteract these addiction issues. My local newspaper, The Anglo-Celt, published an editorial that tried to create an awareness of the difficulties with heroin in rural counties like Cavan and Monaghan. In the past, those of us who live in rural Ireland often thought wrongly that drugs are a problem of major urban areas.

5 o’clock

Sadly it is in every rural parish, village and small town today. I suppose not all of us accepted that for quite some time. Unfortunately, it is only in recent years that the realisation is coming to all of us that those problems that were associated with the major towns and cities, particularly in some disadvantaged urban areas, are right throughout our rural parishes today.

In that leading article - I commend the editor, Ms Linda O'Reilly, on the depth of thought that was put into it and the awareness it has created - she referred in particular to the initiative of the parents' associations of the second level schools in Cavan town. They came together and published an information leaflet on drugs for the parents of the 2,500 students who attend those four second level schools in Cavan town. They did that in conjunction with both An Garda Síochána and Cavan Drug and Alcohol Awareness. In producing that information leaflet, they educated themselves on the drugs available in the Cavan marketplace, the effects of these substances on their children, the telltale signs of use and abuse, and support services locally for any parents or young people who may require them. There is an onus on parents to read the leaflet and to ensure they have as much knowledge as possible to identify a problem, if one is emerging in a house, in an estate or in their own locality.

Another issue I have raised on numerous occasions in this House during questions to the Minister for Justice and Equality and in other debates is that Cavan-Monaghan is the only Garda division in the country that does not have a dedicated drugs unit. Considering that it is a Border area and we have, unfortunately, a growing and escalating problem with drug abuse in the area, I would hope that the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, could consult with An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice and Equality at senior level to ensure additional resources are provided to that Garda division to enable the chief superintendent to re-establish a dedicated drugs unit. If we are to be serious about tackling the scourge of drugs, we must have dedicated officers whose sole remit is to deal with those criminals who are peddling and spreading those substances.

I sincerely hope that effort can be made if additional resources become available to the Minister of State. There is always pressure on resources but we must try to ensure that we take an approach that will tackle effectively the scourge of drugs. All of us have a duty to highlight the difficulties and serious issues surrounding the use of drugs and their availability. I hope the Minister of State can highlight to the Minister for Justice and Equality and to the officials in the Department the need to provide those additional resources because over the past five years, in particular, Garda numbers have been reduced dramatically in the Cavan-Monaghan area. Thankfully, there was the need to reduce numbers going back a number of years ago when the peace process was advanced, but now they have gone below the level badly needed to ensure we have a proper policing service.

See this speech in context