Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and wish him well in his brief. I have listened to him debating this matter. He has great empathy for the subject. Today we are holding a timely mid-term review of how the strategy is working. The survey on the prevalence of different types of drugs is useful as it is important to have the facts. We may have to revamp our strategy based on the kinds of drugs and the mix of drugs being used. The emphasis seems to be changing and cocaine appears to be the most offensive in the way it destroys people mentally and physically. As this strategy will run until 2008, we need to consider how to upgrade it for the next few years. It is worth taking stock every few months.

Having read the input of the Minister of State, we appear to be focusing on four pillars: the supply of drugs, their reduction, prevention and treatment. The answer to the question of where we go from here can be found through research. In his contribution, the Minister of State highlighted prevention, with which I am familiar from my other work as a teacher in a deprived area. I was able to detect the source of the problems. Considerable concentration needs to be placed on training professional people to detect the problem, which will help with prevention particularly among young people. We can all spot such people in a classroom through their characteristics.

Special in-service training should be given to those teachers. Not every teacher is good at this. It is not possible to simply give guidelines to all teachers in a staff-room. Certain teachers are excellent at spotting what is wrong and noticing the dysfunctional backgrounds of families. This is where it breaks down. It is important that the Department of Education and Science along with the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs should have in-service programmes to update teachers.

Social and personal health education is working well in the school context. However, students pull down the shutters when they leave school in the afternoon and go into a different environment. The programme cannot be implemented in isolation, it must be school and community-led. It must start from the bottom up and there is no better place to do that than the local drugs task force. We should revamp them to attract people who will be anxious to work closely with the schools so we can spot the problem before it becomes serious.

The health boards have a role to play. The changes in health board structure will have to be taken into consideration because everything else will change accordingly and we must look at how the system will work from now on. The concept of an awareness programme exists but there is no sign of it on television or radio. Such a programme would form part of the prevention effort.

This is a complex area, taking in health boards, the Department of Education and Science, community programmes and FÁS. In the process of delivering programmes, there can be such an overlap that the message is lost and we must streamline the next phase to ensure that does not happen. Great work is being done but we should tidy up certain areas, something the community would welcome.

People have grown tired so we must motivate the community leaders. The approach to one area with one particular drug problem is not necessarily suitable for another area with a problem with a different drug. People must be invigorated by allowing them to deliver programmes that work.

Young people have a role to play, as do parents. The home school liaison programme has grown tired. Teachers in the area were out visiting parents once a week but then it fell to once a month as people became lackadaisical. The programme should be re-examined because it was very helpful in detecting dysfunctional family backgrounds. Youngsters with low self-esteem could be suffering as a result of alcohol in the home and teachers are the best at spotting that, particularly at primary level. I hope those on the national advisory board to the home school liaison programme will take on these issues. Small is beautiful, however, and if the local scene is handled properly, success will come from the bottom up. If the community works together in a street where the problem is spotted, it should be possible to prevent it from becoming serious.

The health boards are involved in treatment but different treatments are required for different drugs. How do we go about rehabilitation? Are there enough programmes to absorb people? Certain personalities may not fit into some programmes, with shy children being placed on unsuitable community employment schemes. People must be in the right programme to give them their confidence back because if they feel they are making a contribution, this is a first step back to health. Programmes must be suitable in order that the former user feels good and recognises why he or she took drugs. Child care facilities are also needed because often there are problems when the drug user has children. This is another area we should examine in the coming years. Great work is being done but it is always worthwhile revisiting the programme to see if we can improve it.

I compliment the gardaí on the great work they are doing in preventing drugs coming into the country. Customs officers and gardaí are keeping watch around the coasts and have made many seizures.

Prevention and treatment are vital and if we revamp these areas, we will be successful. The Minister of State is doing great work; I read the report today and the survey contained therein was excellent. We must motivate new leaders to re-energise the local scene and involve parents, teachers and the community. We must ensure FÁS has programmes that will suit the different personalities of people coming off drugs. I look forward to the Minister of State coming into the House a year from now to see what progress we have made.