Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

The pressure for this debate probably arose from the high-profile deaths before Christmas, in the same way that the initiative to do something about crime stemmed from the killing of Veronica Guerin. Whatever the reason for this debate, I am pleased it is not just focusing on cocaine, heroin, ecstasy or cannabis and includes our drug of choice, alcohol. The Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, which I chaired, produced a large number of reports on these topics, and reviewed the request to have alcohol brought under the National Drugs Strategy. I do not have much time in which to put the few points I want to make, many of which evolved from visiting other countries and meeting experts in each of the fields. There are two key issues concerning all drugs, namely, supply and demand. There is no supply without demand, and that is the most difficult item to deal with.

The introduction of alcohol from a very young age, from ten onwards it seems, often creates major difficulties. By the time a young person has been drinking for two years, he or she finds there is not the same buzz and often resorts to other substances as well. In the past drugs replaced alcohol as it was deemed unsafe to mix them. Now the buzz of the drug is no longer sufficient and we are at a stage where drugs and alcohol are commonly mixed. Many people start with smoking, and then move on to alcohol as well, and thence to habit forming addictive substances. This progression ensures the next step for some — not all — is to another addictive substance.

We must look at demand and how it is culture related. If the culture of an area or class is such that drugs are tolerated or accepted, this will yield its own pressures and results. Drugs are classless and permeate all sections of society at this time. If the culture in an area is such that drugs are not accepted, however, this will yield its own type of pressure and results. In Dublin in the 1980s and 1990s when communities said "No" to drugs, this was seen to have a major impact. Out of this emerged the National Drugs Strategy and perhaps, too, the reluctance to link alcohol with drugs at that time. However, there was a strong movement by the people to say "No" to drugs. Those same people who sought to keep alcohol out of the equation at that time are now begging for its inclusion because alcohol and drugs combined now comprise the issue. One is as difficult an issue as the other.

From the international perspective, we need to look at the source and where they are grown. The debate should focus on whether farmers there should be paid to grow the raw materials and have the crop openly destroyed by a responsible organisation or paid to set aside the land so that the crop is not grown. We must consider major measures such as these. With regard to who pays for it, internationally it would pay us more to support an effort to provide these farmers with a different income. When one considers what they are paid for the drug when it is harvested compared with what it is sold for on the streets, it is much less of an investment and many countries should contribute to this.

Sniffer dogs are not the answer to everything but they are quite significant. If they are as effective as they seem to be, why do we not have more of them? We have fewer than 20 in the country between the Garda Síochána and Customs and Excise, unless the situation has changed since I chaired the committee.

In New Zealand they even have dogs to sniff out fruit. If one flies into New Zealand one will see the dogs at the airport. We arrived very late after a long journey. I approached the handler of a dog who probably wondered what I was doing racing up to ask about their dogs at that hour of the day. I quickly declared I was a Member of Parliament and I was interested in the dogs. I asked whether the dogs were for drugs but they stated while they did have dogs for drugs, the particular dogs they had were there to sniff out apples. In my presence, the dog discovered an apple in a lunch box in someone's hand luggage. The dog did all the actions to prove something was present.

Why are the New Zealand people worried about apples? To them, their agricultural products are very important, as is their good name for agricultural products. They do not want anything entering the country to disturb the equilibrium of their agricultural produce. If they protect at this level for apples at airports, why do we not seek the same protection for our young people by the use of similar measures?

Sniffer dogs have a potential not only at airports but also roaming around with a handler on a street or in green spaces as we have in my area. It sounds over the top to discuss bringing them into discos and pubs but if we are serious about drugs, surely the dogs should be more prevalent and used more at various locations and in spot checks. In Border regions they would be particularly useful.

Recently, I watched a programme on tobacco trafficking and the issue was that people knew a great deal of cigarettes were trafficked into the country and they could discover the people involved and the cigarettes but they could not do much about it. Does this show up gaps in legislation which need to be filled? If we are accessible for illegal cigarettes does the message go out that we are lax about other substances?

I congratulate Customs and Excise, the Garda Síochána, the Minister of State and all involved in the ongoing discoveries. However, I accept we only discover approximately 10% of what comes into the country. Another way of putting it is that it is only a drop in the ocean. Is it time to man the lighthouses again? Recently, a major cargo of drugs was discovered. If the lighthouses were manned to watch for unusual behaviour of vessels or vehicles we would have another arm to our security.

We should resource the Criminal Assets Bureau properly and ensure cross-Border co-operation and that information crosses the Border. This is pertinent in my area. We must take account of those with no visible means of income. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform announced prior to Christmas that he will expand the role of CAB. We will only succeed when we hit in the pockets those making serious money.

We need full co-operation with international police forces and to continue to work with an excellent organisation based in Lisbon. We have strengthened our links to this. Having attended a number of conferences in Brussels dealing with drugs I know the organisation based in Lisbon is internationally recognised as superb at what it does.

People must know this issue is taken seriously and this can be demonstrated through enforcing the mandatory ten-year sentence. I call on judges to explain why they do not impose a mandatory sentence. I thought A plus B equals C. However, it does not seem to work like this.

Alcohol should be taken seriously as it is a gateway as well as a dangerous drug in itself when abused. It affects organs and kills people through enabling or facilitating them to commit suicide or have an accident brought on by being drunk. It also causes serious injury through fighting. We have seen billboards recently which portray medics as stating they do not want to face the drunk abusive person any more. They want to do their jobs in a safe environment.

While it is not popular to state it, only through raising the cost of alcohol will we ensure consumption decreases. In the recent budget, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Cowen, promised that the issue of the cost of alcohol would be examined. However, it must be examined on an all-island basis. In the area I am from, if alcohol becomes more expensive here than it is in the Six Counties we will have massive trafficking of alcohol across the Border.

We should support those with addictions and we do not do it enough. I want more support for drugs task forces. Young people should be given the tools to be able to say "No" to drugs. Ireland is known for its enterprise skills base. Why not have a skills base for society? No Name clubs must be expanded as must the role of sports clubs in demonstrating the virtues of not celebrating everything through drink. I would like to see the GAA supported in what it was doing.

I would also like to see investment in the arts. I heard everyone in the Tallaght band went on to third level education. The discipline the music gave them enabled them to feel part of a team. This decreases isolation and gives people the ability to say "No" if they want to.

I love the idea of enjoying a drink sensibly or responsibly. How can one drink responsibly when one does not know what is in it? We must consider the labelling issue with regard to alcohol, sugar, calorie and fat content. If I want to be responsible when I go on a diet I can do so with food because I am facilitated by the food industry. From the perspective of drinks, however, I cannot do so. I do not know whether one drink has more calories than another or whether one has a higher sugar content than another, which means I cannot drink responsibly.

It is stated that it takes a long time for culture to change. Drink-driving stopped very quickly. We need to introduce more media education. I am not sure whether the voluntary code of conduct is working. I welcome the new initiative by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, however, which will examine many of these issues.

I am delighted we finally had a chance to exchange our views here even though the time seems short. I could go on all night but I appreciate the forbearance of the Cathaoirleach.