Dáil debates

Thursday, 5 February 2015

Topical Issue Debate

Drugs-related Deaths

4:10 pm

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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According to the Health Research Board’s national drug-related deaths index due to poisoning by alcohol and other drugs between 2004 and 2012, a total of 5,289 people died.

That is the size of the population of a small town. Is the Minister shocked by these figures? Why is this issue not being discussed? It certainly is not being reported on in our newspapers. I do not know if it is being discussed at Cabinet level. The people affected are from communities similar to the one in which I live. Many of those active in drug prevention and rehabilitation, the Garda Síochána and other service users believe the number of drug-related deaths is much higher. The number of deaths in 2012 was 633, which is a slight decrease on the number for the previous year. Since 2004, there have been 84 drug-related deaths in Tallaght. The number for 2012 is 14, which is, again, an increase on the figure for the previous year. Poly-substance abuse, including methadone and heroin, is responsible for the highest number of deaths.

At a conference on alcohol organised by the Tallaght drugs task force in Rua Red last year Dr. Joe Barry said that in Ireland alcohol is responsible for 88 deaths per month and 1,500 hospital beds being taken up each night. It is also responsible for 50% of drownings and fire fatalities, one in every ten psychiatric admissions, is the most common date rape drug, and is linked to 50% of suicides. A response to alcohol issues has been added to the workload of task forces. However, there have been multiple cuts in the core services of task forces over the past five years, including a 29% cut in the Canals Area; a 25% cut in Ballyfermot; a 37% cut in Dublin North East; a 30% cut in Finglas, a 23% cut in Tallaght; a 35% cut in Blanchardstown and a 24.7% cut in Walkinstown. Their workload has increased but they have no new additional resources to tackle emerging needs.

Does the Minister accept that the problem of drugs and their availability is getting worse? Does he accept it is more overt and is he aware of increased intimidation around drug debts? Addicts, dealers and runners are getting younger. Does the Minister accept that we need a dedicated Minister with responsibility for drugs and, if so, will he relay that to his Cabinet colleagues? CAB recovered and seized resources need to be redirected to the communities most affected. This has been proposed for many years. Perhaps the Minister will take it on board today.

We need more detox and residential beds. This is an issue highlighted by all task forces. Education and rehabilitation are key in terms of the response to the drugs epidemic. Does the Minister agree that it is unacceptable that the Department of Education and Skills does not tie into task force meetings? Is he aware of the multiple doctors prescribing drugs to addicts and can anything be done about this through the medical council or the Department of Health? Is the Minister aware of the sale of drugs outside schools and rehabilitation centres? Should dealers caught dealing outside these venues be given heavier sentences, as happens in other jurisdictions? Does the Minister believe new legislation in this area is needed?

4:20 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Drug-related deaths are a human tragedy for the families and friends of the people involved. They have a considerable impact on communities and society as a whole. It is extremely disturbing that many of those who have died as a result of taking drugs were 40 or younger and that a significant number had coexisting addiction and mental illness problems. While it is clear that there are no easy solutions to addressing what is a very complex problem, the Government is committed to stepping up the effort to reduce the number of drug-related deaths.

The latest annual figures from the national drug-related deaths index show a slight decrease in the number of drug-related deaths from 645 in 2011 to 633 in 2012. However, the overall trend since records began in 2004 shows an increase of 50% in drug-related deaths. I agree this is an issue of major concern for Irish society. In the region of 5,300 people have died during this period and each of those deaths was a tragedy in its own right.

While the number of deaths in which heroin or methadone was involved continues to decline, the number of such deaths remains at a high level. The fact that almost 90% of these deaths involved poly-drug use, with over half not registered on the central treatment list at the time of death, suggests that we need to redouble our efforts to get people registered as people with a drug problem and help them achieve a sustained recovery. Government policy in relation to tackling the drug problem is set out in the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016. The strategy is a cross-cutting area of public policy and service delivery. It reflects the fact that problem drug users have complex needs which may require multiple interventions involving a range of different agencies, including law enforcement and education.

An additional €2.1 million was included in the HSE budget for 2015 for a series of measures aimed at encouraging those dependent on drugs to avail of treatment and other supports to reintegrate them into society. These measures include enhanced provision for residential detoxification, which is more detox beds, and rehabilitation facilities and the mainstreaming of needle exchange facilities outside of the Dublin area. The budget of local drugs task forces has not been cut in 2015. I am, unfortunately, not in a position to increase their budgets and acknowledge their increased workloads now that they have responsibility for alcohol too.

I am firmly of the view that many drug-related deaths are avoidable, in particular, those involving heroin or methadone overdoses. For this reason, I have given the HSE the go ahead to run a naloxone demonstration project, which will commence in the first quarter of 2015. The project will involve supplying 600 opioid users and their families with an antidote to drug overdoses to help stem the numbers of drug-related deaths. Naloxone reverses the effects of drugs like heroin, morphine and methadone if someone overdoses. This project will increase access to naloxone for non-medical staff, such as care workers, family and peers of opioid users.

As I mentioned earlier, the Health Research Board report also indicates that over half of those who died from traumatic causes in 2012 had a history of mental illness. Dealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self-harm is a priority for this Government and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. My Department and the HSE national office for suicide prevention are close to completing a new strategic framework for suicide prevention for the period 2015-2019. The Deputy will be aware that under this Government the budget of that office has been doubled. The framework aims to ensure that pathways of care for persons at risk of suicide or in suicidal crisis can be accessible, acceptable and available. It will take account of all relevant policies such as A Vision for Change, Healthy Ireland and the National Substance Misuse Strategy, as well as the report on drug-related deaths.

My Department will shortly commence work on the development of a new national drugs strategy for the period after 2016. The process will involve a comprehensive consultation with key stakeholders and the public on the current national drugs policy and future priorities. It will also take account of evidence-based research, information and data sources on the extent and nature of problem drug use in Ireland, including drug-related deaths.

I want to assure the House and the Deputy that the Government takes the issue of drug-related deaths extremely seriously and is committed to tackling this problem through all the mechanisms available.

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I raise this issue today not to score points but to highlight the scale and nature of the problem and possible ways to address it. The number of drug-related deaths is unacceptable. I have a personal interest in this issue in that I know of many people whose deaths were drug-related. In one week alone I attended church services for three people who died directly from drugs. I know that other people in that area had also died that week. That is the scale of the problem. Many of these deaths are probably not be recorded in the national drug-related deaths index. As such, there is also a problem in regard to how we identify drug-related deaths.

If we are to tackle this issue we first need to know the scale of the problem. We need to start the conversation in this House about the scale of the problem and how collectively we can address it. Many communities feel disempowered. They are certainly dissatisfied that the Government in its wisdom took the decision to do away with the portfolio of the Minister with responsibility for drugs and instead included it within the remit of the Department of Health. That is not a criticism of the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar. As I said earlier, address of alcohol-related issues now comes within the remit of the task forces. Earlier in the week I attended a meeting at which the issue of resources for alcohol-related issues was raised. I refer again to CAB as a potential cash-cow in this regard. We know that a huge envelope of money is being spent on drugs.

5 o’clock

That is one source of funding that needs to be directly put back into communities. If there is no funding available, there is certainly a significant amount of money going around from the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB. This needs to be spent back in communities.

Will the Minister accept this is the start of a conversation? Will he accept just five minutes to discuss this issue is not suitable and that we should have a debate in this House on the drugs issue and associated deaths? We owe it to all those who have died from drugs, many of them personal friends, and ensure another generation will not go down the same road. The figures are going up rather than down, however, which is a concern for all of us. The scale of the problem is getting worse.

4:30 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I believe this is an important issue too and it is one that affects my constituency. I would very much welcome a more detailed debate in the House on this. That is a good idea. The Irish drugs-related deaths index is done to the highest standards. Such standards are not adhered to by many other countries. This is the major reason for the relatively high figures of drug-related deaths in Ireland. The index is calculated from four different sources, namely coroners' records, HIPE, the hospital inpatient inquiry system, the central treatment list and the general mortality register. It is compiled by the Health Research Board, a very well-respected agency and I would not question its numbers unless someone was able to show me better data.

I am very enthusiastic about the naloxone project which I believe will make a big difference. Access to it will mean overdoses can be reversed quickly which will make an enormous difference. I know the solution is not treating overdoses and that the solution starts much earlier than that. However, it would be a considerable achievement if we could significantly reduce the number of deaths as a result of overdoses this year.

The issue of a drugs Minister working across various Departments, such as health, education and justice, would be a matter for the Taoiseach. It would not be appropriate for me to assume his position on that. On alcohol, the Deputy will be aware that for the first time in the history of the State we are proceeding with a public health Bill on alcohol which includes a number of far-reaching measures which have been talked about for a long time but have not been implemented. I am keen to get that legislation through the House before the summer this year. I would appreciate the co-operation of the parties opposite in getting this legislation through. While some people claim it does not go far enough, I can assure the Deputy there are plenty of other interests which will try to delay the legislation and obstruct what we are trying to achieve in this area.