Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)

Ireland has one of the highest numbers of drug-induced deaths in Europe. We desperately need more services to save lives. Yesterday, the Health Research Board published numbers showing 128 people died while homeless in 2021. The overwhelming majority, almost 86%, had a history of substance misuse. There were 128 lives cut short way too early and, for the most part, that could have been prevented. The State, to its credit, spent almost €36 million building a 100-bed treatment and recovery unit in Usher Island in Dublin 8 to be run by the Dublin Simon Community. It is one of its kind in Europe. However, as of today, only 51 of those beds are available for use, while of those beds are sitting empty, all because the Department of Health has yet to provide funding which was committed to back in 2019. These are vital beds for stabilisation, recovery and step-down. They are beds that will save lives.

Where is the money to open these beds? Will the Taoiseach stand over a situation where the State has provided capital investment that is not being put to use? Will he commit to doing much more for drug treatment services in this country?

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