Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions to this debate on drugs policy and acknowledge their interest in and commitment to the issue. In particular, I thank the Labour Party for providing time for the debate.

The Government is fully committed to a health-led approach to the drugs issue and believes that people with problematic drug and alcohol use issues should be treated with compassion and care. As Deputies will be aware, the programme for Government includes a commitment to convening a citizens' assembly to consider matters relating to drug use. The Government is committed to establishing a citizens' assembly on drug use, along with one on the future of education, at the earliest opportunity in 2023, following the completion of the workload in which the assemblies are currently engaged. The timelines and terms of reference of the next assemblies will ultimately be a matter for the Oireachtas to agree on. It is anticipated the Government will consider the matter early in the new year, following which motions will be put before Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann setting out timelines and terms of reference for the new assemblies. The Department of Health has commenced preparations for the citizens' assembly on drug use. Discussions regarding the assembly have taken place at meetings of the national oversight committee for the national drugs strategy.

The Government is very positive about the potential contribution of the citizens' assembly to its health-led response to drug use. Drug use affects all members of society, whether directly or indirectly, and imposes significant social and financial costs. Involving citizens in decision-making on drugs policy is, therefore, appropriate. There are two issues, in particular, that the citizens' assembly on drug use could consider, namely, how better to meet the diverse health needs of people who use drugs and how to prevent the harmful impact of drugs on children, families and communities. It would also be beneficial to have an international component to the citizens' assembly in order that there will be an exchange of good practices from the British-Irish Council work sector on drugs and the EU's drugs strategy and action plan, especially with regard to alternative approaches to coercive sanctions. The voices and perspectives of young people on issues regarding drugs policy should also inform the deliberations of the citizens' assembly on drug use. Officials from the Department of Health are engaged with their counterparts in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to undertake a consultation with young people on this issue.

The Government is committed to pursuing a health-led approach for people in possession of drugs for personal use through the health diversion programme. The programme will divert people caught in possession of drugs for personal use away from the criminal justice system and connect them with the health services. The health services will provide assessment and onward referral as necessary to provide a pathway to recovery and to allow participants to avoid criminal convictions, which can have far-reaching consequences, particularly for younger people. This health-led approach is reflected not only in the roll-out of the health diversion programme but also in other alternatives to coercive sanctions that are currently in place, including the drug treatment court and the drug treatment services of the Probation Service. A health diversion programme implementation group, chaired by the Department of Health, is finalising plans for the commencement of the programme, including legislative amendments and operational procedures. To support the establishment of the programme, the HSE is expanding its capacity to provide support, ask and assess, offer assistance and refer, SAOR, screening and support for people who are found in possession of any drugs for personal use.

I emphasise the points the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, made in his opening remarks regarding funding for the national drugs strategy. It has increased significantly over the past three years and budgets 2021, 2022 and 2023 allocated an additional €21 million to expand the provision of drug and alcohol services, both residential and community based. Budget 2023 also provides an uplift of €3.5 million in core funding for community-based drug and alcohol services to maintain the existing levels of service. This is the first increase in core funding since 2013. It is also a priority in the national drugs strategy to develop integrated care pathways and harm reduction responses for high-risk drug users who have complex health and social needs that make them vulnerable to drug overdose and, possibly, premature death.

As we know, drugs can have a wide-ranging and devastating effect on communities, which can exacerbate underlying issues of poverty and social exclusion. The Government is committed to a joined-up, cross-departmental approach in addressing the complex issues faced by communities, and drug and alcohol task forces have an important role to play in supporting the response to drugs at a community level. The drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, initiative is an interagency response to tackle drug-related intimidation and violence in communities that are most impacted. It is led by the drug and alcohol task forces in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service, the HSE, family support services and civil society organisations. The initiative has been funded by the Department of Health for a three-year period. To support the roll-out of the DRIVE initiative, funding of €250,000 was allocated in budget 2023. This funding will support its work programme including the development of a suite of training and capacity-building resources, a national DRIVE liaison network, a shared learning network and referral pathways to support victims, awareness raising, community initiatives, targeted interagency programmes and a national data collection system.

The Government is committed to the establishment of a supervised injecting facility in Dublin city centre. We have passed legislation and provided resources for this harm-reduction and life-saving service. We have identified Dublin city centre as the optimal location to pilot this service, based on the concentration of drug-related deaths in the area. The establishment of the service is subject to the granting of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála. The supervised injecting facility is an important public health response to drug-related death and illnesses and will offer a compassionate, person-centred service that will reduce the harm associated with injecting drug use and can help people access appropriate services. The facility will bring drug injecting into a medically controlled and supervised setting, with health and other benefits for vulnerable individuals. It will also reduce the negative impact of public injecting and drug-related litter on local communities and businesses.

We cannot be complacent about the dangers of drug use to individuals, their families and their wider communities. The Government is committed to implementing a health-led approach that is person-centred and compassionate. The forthcoming citizens' assembly on drug use will provide an opportunity to take stock of drugs policy and to identify further improvements for the next drugs strategy.

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