Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State has mentioned that An Garda Síochána and the HSE will be involved in the consultation. While gardaí may have local knowledge, I am not too sure that the HSE would have its finger on the pulse in a particular area. One of my other amendments related to the involvement of local drugs task forces and the use of soft knowledge, which is important. When the review or monitoring of this takes place, that monitoring must be done correctly. I am not sure, from what the Minister of State has said today, that it will happen in the way that it should. I say this in the context of the methadone clinics, which were not reviewed, evaluated or monitored enough. While I do not disagree with methadone, which has helped to save many lives, we now have people who are more addicted to methadone than they ever were to heroin. They are possibly in a more difficult situation today than they would have been otherwise.

It is disappointing that the Minister of State is not accepting my amendment. Does this mean that we will never be able to review legislation once it is passed unless that be through a different mechanism?

See this speech in context