Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Deputy to send me a structured email so that we can formally follow up with Dublin City Council on the issues he has raised on behalf of the people he represents.

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue in the House. While the Minister for Health and his Department lead the Government response to drug use, tackling this issue will continue to be a priority for the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and her Department.

As the Deputy is aware, the Government has agreed to establish a committee to consider the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use. We hope to have the committee up and running soon and that it will report back within seven months. The Deputy referred to younger people being victims. That will form part of the committee's considerations.

For An Garda Síochána, the priority in respect of drugs is to disrupt and dismantle organised crime gangs and drug-dealing operations and to remove illegal drugs from circulation.

The Government has taken a number of steps to tackle antisocial behaviour and criminality. These include providing An Garda Síochána with its largest ever budget to support a highly visible Garda presence on our streets; giving An Garda Síochána the tools and technology to fight crime in a digital era by rolling out improved CCTV and body-worn cameras which, we hope, gardaí will have in use in the next number of months; increasing a range of maximum sentences, including for assault causing harm and assaulting a peace officer; introducing facial recognition technology to help solve serious crime; increasing the number of judges to improve the efficiency of the courts; and increasing the number of prison spaces by 400.

The Minister and Government will continue to ensure gardaí have the necessary resources to build stronger, safer communities, including in Dublin city centre and the inner city.

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