Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Deputy Curran on bringing forward this very timely motion on drug problems, which we see right across the country. It is with a very heavy heart that I stand before the Minister of State to concur with everything that has been said tonight and to tell her that my rural constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, which includes parts of north Meath, faces the same crippling drug problems and challenges we have heard about all evening. Only last night I chaired my local Bailieborough community alert committee meeting, at which we discussed local matters. The elephant in the room is the blatant drug dealing that is happening daily, in broad daylight, in towns right across Cavan, Monaghan and north Meath, including my little town of Bailieborough. People think that a lot of these things happen in the big urban areas, but there is a real concern because they are a regular, daily occurrence, and we are only fooling ourselves saying otherwise. This is in the top three issues that are raised at my clinic. Parents are very frightened about what the future holds and what they see before them in broad daylight. They are very frightened to go to the authorities and to say they saw such and such delivering a package. They are afraid for their own safety and their children's safety and unwilling to go to the authorities with the information because of that.

I commend the work of Superintendent Gordon Englishby and Detective Michael Kearney, who work in the drugs unit in Cavan-Monaghan. These are exemplary people doing a wonderful job against a backdrop of very limited resources. They are fighting a raging scourge of drug dealing across Cavan-Monaghan and Meath. Of course, this drug dealing leads to anti-social behaviour and communities being literally under siege from these thieves who are stealing the lives of young people and their parents and families. The bottom line is resources. My district of Bailieborough - I do not believe I am wrong or inaccurate in saying this - is one of the most under-resourced in Cavan-Monaghan. I would like the Minister of State to come back to me on this and bring it to the Minister's attention. How in the name of God can one of the most under-resourced divisions fight this scourge?

The other thing I would like to bring to the Minister of State's attention is Cavan-Monaghan's CDA Trust, which I know wrote to her on 11 October about the fact that it is considering winding down its operations and is having to dissolve the company after years without any increase in funding. It actually cannot continue. I am sure the Minister of State has this letter in front of her too. These are the people who are faced with the scourge of drugs and the families trying to do something about it and to address it. Not only do we have gardaí with no resources but we have no sign of the new Garda station in Bailieborough, which was promised to be started last September. As the Minister of State knows, the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and the Government rolled out CCTV to huge fanfare, but my information is that Ballyjamesduff, which put in an application for CCTV many months ago, still has not had that application ratified. I know myself from working on the Bailieborough community alert scheme that it takes months. There is huge bureaucracy and paperwork involved and there is the stalemate as to who will hold on to the data - will it be the Garda or the local authority? My understanding is that it is the role of the local authority, but perhaps the Minister of State could confirm that for us tonight.

I cannot talk any longer. I have lots more I could say on the issue. Cavan-Monaghan is no different from any other constituency. The bottom line is resources.

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