Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I did not hear this morning's interview, but I am sure it was heartbreaking. Any parent's worst nightmare is for a child not to come home in those circumstances. The Government absolutely recognises that we have a major challenge, as so many other countries have, to respond in a substantive way to drug use. The number of deaths linked to cocaine use and poisoning has increased, as has the number linked to the use of heroin and other drugs, sometimes prescription drugs. Alcohol is also a significant killer.

We have a comprehensive national drugs strategy. It is broken into various elements, including promoting health and well-being. The Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Health and the HSE are involved. From a policing perspective the issues the Deputy has raised are pertinent. The Garda Síochána is active in this area. We have increased its capacity in terms of drugs response and we have increased garda numbers.

Having said that, particularly those of us living outside Dublin will have seen an increase in the availability of illegal drugs on the streets of our cities and towns. The Government is constantly looking to improve the response on that.

I can speak to the Minister responsible and come back to the Deputy on concert licensing. That can be looked at if the Deputy believes it would be helpful. We need to give a very clear message to parents and families that the Government wants to support them. As the Taoiseach said yesterday, we need to be tough on crime and also tough on the causes of crime in terms of the illegal drugs trade. We also need to raise awareness more effectively than we have been able to do among young people of the dangers of illegal drug use, given the tragedy that so many families have faced not just in 2017, but also in 2018, for which we do not yet have figures.

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