Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if taking a harm-reduction approach to drug law reform has a role in tackling organised crime. [10197/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The problem of drug misuse remains one of the most complex social problems we face, causing a huge amount of harm to individuals, families and communities. The Government's response to the problem was set out in the national drugs strategy which ran from 2009 to 2016. As the Deputy is aware, the strategy is comprehensive and based on the five pillars of drug supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research.

The Department of Health has a lead role in co-ordinating and reporting on the implementation of the strategy and it also has responsibility for the primary legislation governing the control of substances, which is the Misuse of Drugs Act. We must work across all of these pillars to deal with the issue. The criminal justice agencies are an important part of the response but not the only part of it. I recognise the value of work across all of the different pillars, including the supply reduction target and the law enforcement targeting of those who seek to profit from drug-trafficking and the illegal trade in controlled substances. They have no regard for the damage they do.

Government policy emphasises the importance of providing opportunities for people to move on from illicit drug use through drug treatment and rehabilitation to a drug-free life, where it is achievable. I agree the provision of harm-reduction measures is very important. These include needle and syringe programmes, methadone maintenance treatment and reducing drug-related harm. All of these can facilitate recovery by providing a pathway into the services. To answer the question, it must be a multifaceted approach and we will work on a new drugs strategy from 2016 onwards. No doubt the experiences of local drug taskforces will be an important input into the new strategy.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I agree we must have an holistic and multifaceted approach but the one constant which has remained for the past 30 or 40 years, as far back as the 1970s, is the criminalisation of the addicts themselves. This policy has completely failed. We now have a situation where more people are addicted to drugs and we have more drug-related deaths than ever before. This policy is counter-productive and is failing. The previous Minister of State with responsibility for drugs, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, initiated legislation on supervised injection centres. I note the programme for Government states there will be a health-led rather than a criminal justice-led approach to harm reduction. Given the commitment in the programme for Government, where is the legislation on the supervised injection centres?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Significant national and international debates are taking place on the question of decriminalisation and I have no doubt these will form part of preparing the new drugs strategy. The Taoiseach will shortly meet all of the Ministers to identify priorities in the legislative programme and the programme for Government and produce the lists. In the context of Dáil reform, this will be different from how it has been done until now because we are in a different situation. Legislation from throughout the House will form part of the priority work of the Dáil. At present, I do not have information on when the legislation will be brought forward but it is in the programme for Government. I can certainly liaise with the Deputy on the exact timescale when it is known. It will be presented to the House by the Taoiseach in the coming weeks.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister agree there needs to be a change in the legal status of drugs if the Government is to bring about medically supervised injection centres? If there is to be a health-led approach to harm reduction, it indicates the legal status of some drugs needs to be examined. The national drugs strategy is a five pillar strategy but some of these pillars are falling down. Rehabilitation in the State receives only a very small part of the resources. The city I represent does not have transition beds for people coming out of rehab who have been on heroin or prescription drugs for a long time and who may have lost vital social skills. We do not have this step-down facility in the second largest city in the State. If we are serious about harm reduction, then it is not just about rehabilitating people but ensuring services are there so when people come out, they can stay clean.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can only agree with the Deputy on the importance of rehabilitation facilities and their being available at the point at which the addict is ready to make use of them. It is very problematic when there are waiting lists in this regard. We need to continue to invest in drug rehabilitation services. Of that there is no doubt.

Regarding the Deputy's question about the legal approach to drug use, I am sure he is familiar with the Oireachtas joint committee's report and what it stated about the position in Ireland. The committee considered the situation in Portugal and made some very interesting recommendations. No doubt they will be considered when the legislation on centres is brought before the House. The report did, however, recommend that in the future, while calling for the possession of drugs for personal use to continue to be considered prohibited behaviour, it be dealt with in an alternative manner by way of a civil-administrative response rather than being managed via the criminal justice route. I note the report which was both very comprehensive and very good and I know that it was being considered by the former Minister of State Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. No doubt when the legislation is brought before the House, it will form part of the discussion.