Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for his detailed response and I welcome everything he said. I believe the numbers involved are increasing. I am basing that on reports coming to my constituency office, and telephone calls and meetings I am having with young women and, on occasion, young ladies with their mums.

Sadly, the Minister is correct in saying that many of these suspected spiking incidents involved rape. I believe we need to protect our women. We need to do everything humanly possible. Of course, it is difficult to prove, in that the person may have one or two drinks as well. Can the Minister outline in more detail the protocols that are in place for a patient who presents at the accident and emergency department and reports suspected drink spiking and the reason hospitals do not carry out intoxication testing in these cases, especially when requested by patients and families?

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