Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I raise the matter of the national drugs unit in County Donegal which is operated by An Garda Síochána. The Garda national drugs unit was initially an excellent resource for the Garda Síochána and it has been very successful at both a national and local level in the seizing of large volumes of drugs and in obtaining convictions for those involved. I commend the national drugs unit on its work.

The alarming information from the CSO crime figures is that drug abuse and drug use is on the increase and there has been an increase in the number of drug-producing farms. I have noted there has been a significant increase in the number of these drug farms in a number of Border counties. These farms are producing drugs for sale or supply and cannabis is the most common drug being produced. The current legislation has a loophole which allows individuals to purchase equipment and the seeds for the manufacture of these drugs. It is not a crime to purchase or to sell the equipment or the seeds. It only becomes a crime after the seeds have been planted. There may well be a loophole in the law which should be addressed but this is a separate issue.

I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley shares my concerns on this issue. It has been brought to my attention that the drugs problem is escalating in County Donegal and it may be the same in other counties. This has put more pressure on the Garda resources to deal with the problem. It seems the main reason for this problem in Donegal is that 97% of our land border is with the North of Ireland and there is also the challenge of policing the coastline because drugs are brought ashore.

The drugs unit in County Donegal has been working very effectively up until recent years. However, it is now under so much pressure that it is increasingly difficult to deal with the demands of the work. The drugs unit in Letterkenny in the centre of County Donegal has had a reduction in staff numbers from ten to three. There are two other drugs units in the county. The unit in Buncrana is staffed by three members of An Garda Síochána and the unit in Donegal town is staffed by three members. There are only nine staff members to cover the whole county.

There is a need for additional staff. I appreciate this is a challenging time for the provision of resources. I am reliably informed that a major benefit to the drugs units in the county would be the provision of a sniffer dog to assist the members of An Garda Síochána. Very often when drugs are suspected of being in a location or being transported in a vehicle, it takes a long time to complete inspections because of the lack of a sniffer dog. I ask that a dedicated sniffer dog unit be made available to assist the drugs unit in County Donegal and that additional staff be appointed to the three units. The use and abuse of drugs will cause an additional burden on the health services and this will cost the country more money. Drugs need to be apprehended at the earliest available opportunity and the only way is to have resources such as a sniffer dog unit at the first point of contact. I know the Minister of State will agree with me in this matter. I suggest the dog unit could be established on a pilot basis, given the unique geographical position of County Donegal, in order to combat some of those challenges faced by both the gardaí and the general public. Young people are vulnerable and drugs are being pushed on them. Criminal individuals and gangs are setting up drugs operations and are pushing drugs in order to make a living for themselves. This is not proper and those people must be apprehended and the gardaí need to be provided with the resources to do so.