Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey, to the House. I am pleased he is responsible for the national drug strategy. I am confident the Minister of State, whom I know well, will make his mark in this field. I listened to his contribution and I wish him well. As I do not have much time, I will speak briefly about the importance of rehabilitation, which is the fifth pillar to be introduced in this area. In that context, I would like to emphasise the role of the education sector, with which I am familiar as a result of the work I did before I was elected to this House. We must consider carefully the link between the home and the school, which is a big issue. The Minister of State spoke about the interdepartmental connection and the integrated plan, on which we must focus. Children of ten years of age were mentioned earlier. If we are to make a big start, we need dialogue between parents and teachers. Parents should have a huge influence.

I would like to talk about treatment. I lament the recent decision taken by pharmacists in respect of the methadone programme. It is a pity they have taken this course of action, which is affecting the most vulnerable people in society. We need to invest more resources in treatment places. I identify a gap in that sense. Second chance education is an important part of rehabilitation. We need to decide how best we can bring back young people into the education sector. What role should be played by local initiatives, for example? I appreciate that the Government has invested money in local initiatives, such as recreational programmes. Capital funding has been provided for accommodation. What is the best way of integrating these people into society? Do we have the leaders, trained staff, teachers and counsellors needed to work in this field? When I spoke to some career guidance counsellors recently, they told me they have huge problems when they deal with dysfunctional families in risk areas. Resources are needed on the ground in these core areas.

I would love to talk about this issue for another half an hour. The Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey, is familiar with my position on this matter. I will no have no difficulty in working closely with him on this subject at a future date.