Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I am happy to speak on this motion on behalf of the Government and to have the opportunity to refute categorically many of the claims made by the Opposition this evening. Whoever is in the Fine Gael research office is extraordinarily negative and can quote and misquote statistics to beat the band. Admittedly, a recent UN report was compiled from the data of the European school survey project on alcohol and other drugs, or ESPAD. That is conducted in schools among 15 and 16 year olds, and we all know that that is not the most scientific method, since there is a little peer pressure, and everyone wants to claim that he or she is on everything.

The report totally ignores the national population survey, which is very detailed and in-depth and has been conducted on an all-Ireland basis with the authorities in the North. It came out a few weeks ago, showing that, on an overall population basis, only 19% of people had ever touched any kind of drug, even once in their lives. That survey was conducted in line with best international practice. There were three basic questions, namely, whether respondents had ever, even once, touched an illegal drug, whether they had done so within the previous 12 months and whether they had done so within the previous month. That showed that only 19% of people had ever touched an illegal drug, even once in their lives. That was a very in-depth survey across people from 15 to 64 years of age. Contrary to what everyone is saying – that everyone is on illegal drugs – it clearly showed that four out of five people in the country had never been tempted by an illegal drug, even once in their lives.

I ask people to get real. Of course we have a problem. There are 14,500 heroin addicts in the country. While the last survey showed that numbers had dropped slightly in Dublin, I will not allow myself to get carried away by those hopeful signs. We concede that we have a problem, but for God's sake let us speak factually. Exaggerating figures simply to prove a point serves no purpose.