Results 21-40 of 72 for drugs speaker:Martin Kenny

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Sanctions for the Possession of Certain Amounts of Drugs for Personal Use: Discussion (12 Jul 2022)

Martin Kenny: I thank Dr. Capaz. That is useful. I would like to hear the views of the other contributors on that issue. As has been said, we use a lot of other drugs in our society all the time. Tobacco has been mentioned. Alcohol probably causes more harm in Irish society than most things because we have huge issues with it. However, we regulate it. We know the strength of the bottle of whiskey or...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (28 Jun 2022)

Martin Kenny: 863. To ask the Minister for Health if he plans to extend the drugs payment scheme to cover the cost of ozempic semaglutide for those prescribed it off-label for reasons other than those associated with diabetes. [34207/22]

European Union Regulation: Motion (5 Apr 2022)

Martin Kenny: ...is worthy and worthwhile. It will move us in the right direction. Joint investigation teams have been working for many years on a multinational format to tackle organised crime, particularly the drug gangs, etc., that plague our communities. Every community in every part of Ireland can recognise the impact that they have on young people, who become addicted to drugs and who then fall...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (29 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: ...in his home. Many people said there is a need to have preventative measures around the country, one of which is, of course, CCTV, not just in rural areas but also in many urban areas where drug dealing and other such activities are taking place in broad daylight. It is a measure that would assist gardaí in preventing such crimes from occurring. I would like the views of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Gambling Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Martin Kenny: ...clubs whether it is GAA, rugby or whatever. That is where we must strike a balance and I am interested in hearing the attitude of the witnesses to that. We often talk about what happens in a drugs scenario. I mean people may start smoking cannabis but after a while it becomes a gateway drug and they get into the heavier stuff. Is it a similar situation with gambling where people begin...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Antisocial Behaviour: Discussion (22 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: ...interconnectedness of all that is probably the big issue that goes to the core of much of this. If we were to examine that, we would probably find that many of the reasons people end up misusing drugs and so on relate to chaotic and difficult life circumstances they are in, poverty of ambition and a sense of hopelessness regarding their circumstances and the community in which they live....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Garda Síochána (17 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: ...have raised with the Minister before and which I keep hearing is one of the key problems people have when they are at a DART station, on the Luas or in places like that. They see people using and selling drugs. There is an aggressive atmosphere, and it is very fearsome for people. It is an area that really needs action.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 – Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 24 – Justice (Revised)
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised) (8 Feb 2022)

Martin Kenny: ...ána, see that many of the repeat offenders who come before the courts have difficulties with addiction and mental health. Many of these difficulties are interlinked, for example, people may have become psychotic because of drug addiction. There is a range of issues there. At the moment, the services available to such people are poor. It is widely recognised that while some...

Coercion of a Minor (Misuse of Drugs Amendment) Bill 2022: First Stage (26 Jan 2022)

Martin Kenny: The Bill is designed, as my colleagues have said, to ensure unscrupulous drug dealers who often use children as couriers to move drugs around can be prosecuted for it. Very often with these children, and it has been an experience in many areas throughout the country, they get involved at a very young age in doing that and later become addicts themselves and get caught up in the whole system....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Public Transport (25 Nov 2021)

Martin Kenny: .... It is over a month since The Irish Times featured a report with testimonials from many people who travelled on our bus and train systems, including the DART and Luas. They spoke about open drug dealing and people displaying threatening behaviour, leaving passengers feeling completely abandoned and isolated on the service. Most people share my feeling that the answer to this is to have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Minorities Engaging with the Justice System: Discussion (24 Nov 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...that has been put on them for a long time. When gardaí end up in that situation, they very often come across an individual who is psychotic or who has a dual diagnosis, that is, someone who has issues with drugs or alcohol in addition to another issue. The point I am coming relates to the training gardaí need to be able to deal with these multifaceted issues. The commission...

Access of Competent Authorities to Centralised Bank Account Registries: Motion (19 Oct 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...They have an impact on communities because much of the money hidden in these criminal bank accounts has been garnered by criminal gangs who have been a scourge in our communities in many urban areas with drugs and all the difficulties around that. The Minister of State mentioned Ireland has many large multinational corporations and big companies in the financial services sector,...

The National Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 and Supporting Community Safety: Statements (6 Oct 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...people from crime and that kind of behaviour, as we all recognise and understand. I am glad the Government has accepted that the level of disadvantage does lead to crime and antisocial behaviour, drug use and all of those things. That disadvantage is something we need to tackle, which means we need to tackle people who live in these communities. The incomes they have to live on are a...

Afghanistan Crisis: Statements (29 Sep 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...lives, many of whom are going into hiding or changing their locations for fear of being denounced by their neighbours or even by their own families. There is a significant issue with the supply of drugs and we need to bear this in mind. There was a recent seizure in India of almost three tonnes of heroin worth €2.72 billion from Afghanistan. Indeed heroin production has...

Garda Siochana (Functions and Operational Areas) Bill 2021: Second Stage (22 Sep 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...that every garda was a community garda. That may be true to an extent, but it does not stand up completely when one thinks about it. In most cases, gardaí are divided into units of expertise, for example, drugs squads, serious crime units and roads policing. Each of them may have an element of dealing with and being part of the community, but if we are to crack the problem we have...

EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Motion (21 Sep 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...data that is required were somehow refused to be shared or were not put in the domain of criminal justice investigations trying to link things together. I am thinking, in particular, of the huge drug gangs that now operate across Europe and the world, how they have continued to operate, the work they continue to do and how difficult it is to track them because of the various borders,...

Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021: Second Stage (16 Sep 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...supports that are put in place for people while they are in prison and when they are released. Usually, people who find themselves involved in criminal activity, particularly those engaged in violent, drug-related activity, live chaotic lives that are outside the norm most of us experience. Returning from prison to that type of chaotic life is really just putting them back to where they...

Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (15 Jul 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...models point to the use of other measures which really relate to education, training, offering opportunity to people, ensuring there are supports for communities, anti-poverty measures, youth work, drug addiction services and addiction services in general. One of the key things we should be considering is increasing funding for all of those services. It is a broader issue than the focus...

Proceeds of Crime (Investment in Disadvantaged Communities) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (8 Jul 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...to relieve the communities that are under severe strain the length and breadth of the country. Everywhere we go we come across families and communities that are under pressure because of the ravages of drug addiction and criminality that circles around all of that. It is particularly intense in many urban areas and more densely populated regions. The truth is that most communities...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: An Garda Síochána (8 Jul 2021)

Martin Kenny: ...is required. We need to bring all of the services together in order to deal with this. However, when I speak to gardaí on the beat they tell me that if they took mental health issues and drug addiction issues out of the equation, almost one third of their work would be gone. That reflects the level of time and resources tied up in this area. As I said, most of this happens...