Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey. I am pleased to have an opportunity to make a contribution to this debate on alcohol and drug abuse. Alcohol related injuries are the main cause of visits to accident and emergency departments, whether as a result of road traffic accidents, binge drinking leading to injuries and fatalities, or domestic violence. One fifth of motorists killed on the roads have alcohol concentration levels above the legal limit, with many far in excess of the limit. The Irish population continues to be among the highest consumers of alcohol in the EU. In 2006, alcohol consumption per adult was 13.4 litres of pure alcohol compared with an EU average of 10.2 litres. We are second after Luxembourg in the European league of alcohol consumption. This is a damning statistic and not something of which we should be proud.

Half of Irish children aged between 15 and 17 describe themselves as current drinkers and more than one third report being "really drunk" in the past 30 days. These figures are a cause for great concern. Social, personal and health education officers are needed at senior cycle, and these officers should work closely with community gardaí and local drugs taskforces. There is evidence that multi-component programmes, such as school and community or school and parent training, are more effective, but this type of linkage is currently missing. I urge that such an approach be taken sooner rather than later. One of the key findings in Alcohol Action Ireland's 2006 report was that 85% of people are of the view that our cultural attitude to alcohol must change. A values-based educational approach is urgently required to effect a change in attitudes.

The new report of the national advisory committee on drugs indicates increased usage of illegal drugs among all adults, having increased from 18% to 24% in the last four years. Men and younger age groups reported higher drugs usage. Among 25 to 34 year olds, for example, a lifetime usage rate of 34% was reported. I cannot overemphasise the need for school and community based initiatives, including parent education. This age group includes those who leave school early, which is often when the greatest void in terms of prevention programmes and interventions arise. Greater resources should be allocated to vocational educational committees in particular to deal with this area.

Cannabis is identified as the most commonly used drug and is sometimes referred to as a gateway drug. That is very worrying as cannabis users often progress to heroin or cocaine addiction which breeds violence and criminal behaviour with devastating effects on local communities throughout the country.

Cocaine use is on the increase and it was alarming to hear the Dublin county coroner call cocaine the biggest killer of all. Cocaine was a factor in almost one third of drug-related deaths into which inquests were held in Dublin city in recent years. This shows the direction in which society is going. There have been incidents of multi-organ failure leading to death as a result of damp and pure cocaine being used. In my city of Waterford, young men died as a result of taking damp cocaine.

Education is the key. We need to educate young people about the dangers of drugs and experimenting with them. People can be unlucky in that young lads trying cocaine for the first time can lose their lives as a result of experimenting with these drugs.

Law enforcement in this area needs to be addressed. Serious investment in the use of high quality breeds of trained drug dogs and trained handlers for random searches in pubs and nightclubs should be addressed. This should be available on a regional basis. This suggestion has been welcomed by publicans and nightclub owners whose hands are tied unless they have proof. I heard some nightclub owners and publicans say that they must put Vaseline on toilet seats and other surfaces to prevent cocaine use in toilets. This is how under-resourced they believe they are in tackling this drugs epidemic.

There is no doubt there has been a major breakdown in society since the mid-1990s. As a nation, we have failed to produce sound role models which our young people can proudly emulate. They believe the church has let them down in many ways and that the Government has let them down with many broken promises and the squandering of resources. There is nothing to fill the void but a Celtic tiger which has fuelled greed and where consumerism has become the new God. As we know, that could not last and for many, it has come to nought.

We have seen a horrific increase in the suicide figures and an increase in violent crime as a result of alcohol and drug abuse. Any effective cross-party approach must invest in the family and in parenting as a major priority in the fight against substance abuse.

I welcome the setting up of the alcohol advisory committee as a way to combat alcohol abuse. However, the Minister has set very strict terms of reference for the review group and I urge him to expand its remit to include an analysis of the current advertisement regulations. Without a realistic framework, it is unlikely that the review group's recommendations will be acted on. Its remit should be expanded.

I am glad to contribute to this debate. We need to take a cross-party and cross-departmental approach to tackle alcohol and drug misuse which are tearing our society apart. Any suggestions made by Members on both sides should be taken on board by the various Ministers and acted on as a matter of urgency.