Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Since I have come back into this House I have been raising consistently - as have Deputies in government - the need for a citizen's assembly on drugs. We have tried to approach this in good faith so that all the issues we have in respect of drug policy can be discussed in a robust fashion at a citizens' assembly. We believe we have been mature and responsible in that respect. Last Thursday night, I pleaded in this Chamber with the Minister of State with responsibility for drugs to prioritise the citizens' assembly on drugs because lives are at stake. The difficulty is that, unfortunately, Irish society does not value the lives that are at stake. When the announcement came today about the Citizens' Assemblies on biodiversity and a potentially directly elected lord mayor of Dublin, there was a level of devastation within the communities and families that are deeply affected by the issue of drugs. I ask the Taoiseach to please give us some level of hope of a timeline for the citizens' assembly on drugs.

See this speech in context