Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive statement on the implementation, to date, of the national drugs strategy. He made an important point when he said the new regional drugs task forces to be established would continue to have a political input, which I welcome. We would not be having this debate were it not for the fact that I am a member of the local drugs task force in Tallaght. It is my involvement with our local task force which ensures that I am kept up to speed with the issues. It is essential that politicians are involved in these task forces. This will ensure that the issues on the streets with which we must deal on a daily basis can be translated into the debate in this House and the Lower House. I know the Minister of State believes in the notion of political accountability and that is essential for the future.

The Minister of State represents a constituency where this problem is familiar and, for this reason, it is important that he – like former Minister of State, Chris Flood, who represented my constituency – was given this responsibility. The problems of urban areas are unique and radical intervention is required. A political commitment at the highest level of Government is needed in terms of intervening to resolve these difficulties. The Minister of State has a track record in this regard and I wish him well.

I would have preferred if a single Minister of State had sole responsibility for the drugs issue. I intend no criticism when I say that Deputy Noel Ahern holds another busy portfolio as Minister of State with responsibility for housing and urban renewal, which is a huge brief. I believe it would have been better to keep this issue at the very top of the agenda.

I am pleased that the Cabinet sub-committee on social inclusion, chaired by the Taoiseach, is continuing its work. The commitment to ongoing funding must be at the centre of Government policy. The original report was produced by Deputy Pat Rabbitte, in the period 1996 to 1997, when he served as a Minister of State and it highlighted the areas where action was needed. There was a commitment from the then Taoiseach, Deputy John Bruton – it was taken on by the current Taoiseach – that this issue would be regarded as a priority.

As the Minister of State indicated, a total of €51 million has been allocated to task forces. That is a significant amount of funding. As Members of the Oireachtas, we must ensure that we are getting not just value for money and accountability but also that we can articulate the need for further funding, if necessary.

The perception on the streets in some parts of this city and other cities is that the problem is getting worse instead of better. The supply of drugs into the country is as significant as it has always been. The Minister of State referred to this earlier. One of the reasons it is becoming increasingly difficult to stem the flow of drugs into the country is because the price has dropped. It is now cheaper to buy scores of heroin than it was three years ago.