Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

This has been an excellent debate. I wish to make four brief points. I am a member of my local drugs task force in the Tallaght area and, knowing that this debate was taking place, I was asked to put some points to the Minister of State with responsibility for this issue. The first point relates to the community employment scheme. Community treatment programmes depend on CE. The people in my area want a commitment from the Minister of State, which we did not get in his speech, that there will not be any reduction in CE places for drug treatment schemes and programmes in the community. We did not get that solid guarantee from the Minister of State, which is worrying in light of his comment about tomorrow's Estimates. If there is any reduction in CE places, which other Government colleagues have promised will be ring-fenced, those communities will have to face the scourge of drugs they have been trying to counteract in the city. I ask the Minister of State to ensure there is no reduction in CE places for drug treatment programmes.

Most of the people fighting the drugs problem in Dublin want CAB money ring-fenced for their communities because this is a huge psychological issue. The drug barons have ravaged some of the most deprived communities in the city as a result of plying their drugs trade. The people want the money back in their communities because they want to tell the younger children that the drug barons are in prison and that the money they got from their equestrian activities, their fine houses and their jewellery has been pumped back into the community. It has as much to do with psychology as with money. I make no apology for saying that an illuminated sign should be placed in the communities which receive CAB money stating that it represents a commitment from the Government and that the community is screwing the money from the people who screwed it for many years. I ask the Government to look at my party's proposal in that regard, which has the full backing of the communities that are fighting the drugs scourge in the city.

I commend Senator Feighan for the way in which he put the motion to the House tonight, which has elicited an excellent debate.