Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for bringing this important legislation before the House.We reflect upon the nature of legislation, and when people ask about the role of Government and the work of the Oireachtas, today is a good example. I commend Senator Ó Ríordáin on his work as a Minister of State in beginning this process. The Minister of State referred to a relay race but I should also mention the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Stanton, for the work he did. It is easy for us to be speaking here today because whether we are candid about this or not, we know we need a new approach to tackling the problem of drug and alcohol misuse. I acknowledge the people in the Gallery today and the work they do. I have met them. When I was Chairman of the Committee on Health and Children, we did some work in this area and our first report was on this area. I highlight the work done in Cork by the Tabor Group and by the Cork local drugs and alcohol task force. As Senator Norris said, people will get drugs and inject. The Minister of State was very honest when she said the injecting centre will not be the solution. It is not a panacea.

We must reflect on best practice internationally too. The Minister's speech, the report from the Oireachtas Library and Research service and other contributions cite a host of cities around the world. I agree, however, with Senator Ó Ríordáin that this aims to save people's lives and to humanise the problem. We cannot, as a society or government, despite what some might think, create different types of people. We are all human beings, and wherever we live, we are entitled to the same access to treatment and supports. We must put it in that context. I have spoken to people in Cork and others around the country who work at the epicentre and deal with drug misuse and its associated problems, I am certain we have their support. Like many of her predecessors, the Minister of State is travelling the country and was in Cork recently where she spoke and listened to people. The function of the national drugs misuse strategy is to engage with stakeholders. They are the people who work day in, day out, trying to highlight, solve the problems of, and work with people who misuse drugs.

Regardless of whether we like it, people will inject in public and in unsafe places. I know many places in my city where that is a problem. We need to tackle that. Senator Ó Ríordáin is right about the health issue. That is why when the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, was Chairman of the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality and I chaired the Committee on Health and Children, we held a joint meeting of our committees on the issue of drug misuse because it was not a question of justice or of punishing or capturing the drug addict or the person who injects but of ensuring a holistic, whole-of-Government approach to this.

I am pleased the local drugs task force in Cork is supportive of this. It is a pilot scheme which can be rolled out in other areas because we need to ensure that medically supervised injecting centres are provided. It is not a question of airbrushing or pushing people out to the margins but of ensuring those who are isolated and vulnerable and do not necessarily want to be associated with or come forward to be helped have an environment where they can be helped, reached out to, and worked with towards treatment. I was very pleased the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, turned a sod on Fellowship House, which will be another important asset in Cork in the treatment of people with problems arising from misuse of drugs and alcohol. It is a whole-of-community approach. We need to ensure we have residential detox and rehabilitation beds, in particular for polydrug users.

This is a good day. Many deserve credit for their courage. This will not be universally popular but we are doing the right thing and that is why all of us in the House must support the Minister of State. I am glad she is the person piloting this in the Oireachtas because she has empathy and sincerity and works at the coalface in her community. She does not have an arsenal of degrees but she has the worthwhile attribute of being a person who listens, who enjoys common sense and wants to see the right thing done.