Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will make two quick comments and ask questions at the end. I have just under four minutes.

My colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, referenced the issue of drugs in the context of Covid. It is one of the issues I wish to raise with the Minister now. Since the lockdown started, people have become acutely aware of drug dealing in their localities. It has been much more visible because they have been at home watching it happen. We do not fund this sector enough. The funding that has gone into drug and alcohol forums has not replaced the funding that was cut as a result of Fianna Fáil crashing the economy in 2008. I am a member of the drugs task force in Limerick and the regional drug and alcohol forum. Between 2008 and 2011, our funding was cut by up to 50%. That amount has not been reinstated. We have a major problem.

Obviously, Covid-19 has affected all front-line services. In our context, most of the staff involved cannot be out and about, so I commend all those staff who have been out and about and doing the best they can in difficult circumstances.

There was good news from Limerick this morning. It saw the largest Garda raid in the State this year, with 60 houses and other premises raided in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary. A number of drug seizures and arrests were made, which we welcome. I commend the Garda Síochána. I also commend the Defence Forces, which I believe were also involved, the Criminal Assets Bureau and, most importantly, the local residents who gave some of the information that led to the arrests.

My first question is about the programme for Government that was announced recently and printed a day or two ago. I have it in front of me. It makes no commitment to increase funding for drug and alcohol forums. We know what will happen if that is the case.

Three weeks ago, I raised with the Minister the deal with private hospitals. At the time, the occupancy rate in the Bon Secours in Limerick was 1%. The Minister told me that the figures he had provided to Deputy O'Reilly had changed and were then 30%, which was fine, but figures he sent to another of my colleague's recently showed the rate as being back to 15%. What is going on? We all welcomed the deal when it was done because we believed it would be necessary if our ICUs became overwhelmed, but as the Minister is aware, public hospital appointments are not taking place. Many of them are being cancelled, as are procedures. Quality-of-life operations, tests and other procedures are on hold for health and safety concerns about Covid-free spaces. The deal is not delivering what we believed it would. Will the Minister outline the occupancy rate in the Bon Secours in Limerick? Will he ensure that the many thousands who are stranded on waiting lists are treated in the Bon Secours? Will he outline what resources he will make available to increase the public health service's capacity to provide access to diagnostics, such as the urgent recommencement of cancer screening programmes and time-critical reviews for patients on surgical waiting lists?

I have in part asked my final question already. Does the Minister believe that the funding for drug task forces under the programme for Government will be enough?

See this speech in context