James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I will be opposing the amendments not because I do not agree with their essence, but because the Minister will bring forward far more comprehensive legislation which will address this issue. In Portugal, they have a system, allied to the courts system, which deals with this area. If one is caught with drugs for one's own use, one does not walk away with a smile on one's face. There are consequences. People caught in this way are brought to an administrative court setting where they are offered options in the way of treatment or attendance at an outpatient service. They are monitored and have to go through a certain process before getting clear of the system. That would require legislation here because no such system is in place at the moment.

There is probably nobody in this room more experienced in dealing with communities and drugs than the Minister of State over her long political career. I include myself in that, a GP who dealt with drug addiction and attended Trinity House to look after young girls addicted to heroin who were being used by unscrupulous individuals, even within their own families, who pimped them on the streets. This is a very serious issue and I believe the Minister has the knowledge to deal with it and is going about it in the right way. I commend the two Senators on putting forward the amendments as they have raised the issue and it is something we should pursue. However, as Senator Ó Ríordáin will know, the legislation has to be complete in order to support amendments like these. At the moment, it is nowhere near being so.