Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State and the Bill, the purpose of which is to give effect to the Council of Europe agreement on illicit traffic by sea implementing Article 17 of the United Nations convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, more commonly known as the Vienna Convention, done at Strasbourg on 31 January 1995. Any measure which helps in the fight against the drugs culture must be welcomed and supported.

The Bill will give greater powers to the Garda, Naval Service and Customs and Excise in the fight against the importation of drugs. Ireland is a gateway for the importation of drugs to the United Kingdom and the Continent. It also has a large coastline of approximately 3,000 kilometres which is extremely difficult to manage. The Garda, Customs and Excise and the Naval Service will require additional support services to carry out the duties required. These services must be provided if the Bill is to be fully implemented. The services available are not adequate to deal with the problem. Our coastline makes the country attractive for traffickers to import drugs before sending them to other countries.