Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I, too, would like to welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for coming in to discuss a very serious issue concerning the HSE drugs counselling services and programmes for those under 18 in Dundalk. I have been in contact with local people who are acutely aware of the situation since the closure of the drugs counselling services for those under 18 in December last and I am led to believe that at present, the Dundalk area has no HSE drugs counselling service for the under 18s category. I was speaking to local gardaí as recently as today about this matter and they are very concerned at the lack of services for young people. It is testament to the efforts of gardaí and juvenile liaison officers, JLOs, in the area that they are working above and beyond the call of duty. Gardaí want to work tirelessly to help young people stay out of the criminal justice system, but it becomes more difficult when the first port of call, the drugs counselling service, is not available. Drug use and addiction continue to be major local issues; therefore, we should provide the supports and services necessary to assist young people in their recovery from addiction.

I am led to believe the biggest local problem is the use of benzodiazepines, benzos. People are buying them on the internet on which they are openly on sale. Because of the amounts people are taking, they are causing serious health problems. Compared to when ecstasy tabs were popular, benzos are causing a completely different reaction where users actually appear to be unaware of what is happening to them. This is making it more difficult for people like the juvenile liaison officers to help them. I am aware of one case in which a 17 year old refuses to admit that he has a problem and has, unfortunately, been removed from the family home. As the juvenile liaison officer said to me, normally the first port of call would be the drugs counselling service before seeking further help. When drugs counselling is not available, the juvenile liaison officer's hands are tied.

We all know from our early teen years that they are the most vulnerable. It is recognised that second year in school is the most important in determining which way a student will go. If we do not have the drug counselling services needed in place for young people, we are adding to what is a growing problem. It is imperative that we have appropriate services available which are easily accessible. Private counselling services may be available, but many parents in this predicament with their under-18s do not have private health insurance, nor can they afford to access it.

I ask the Minister to outline why the service was discontinued in the Dundalk area at the end of last year. I also ask him to outline the future plans for drug counselling services for the under-18 age group and specifically the future of the service in Dundalk. The service being sought locally would not be full time; people are not looking for a service from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week, rather they are looking for a service, perhaps one day a week, with a two-hour slot at which young people could be directed by those trying to help them when they could receive the appropriate help they so badly need.