Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Bryne, for her comprehensive response and her support for the motion.I compliment the Minister of State on her efforts. I am fully convinced that she is a very solution-driven, pragmatic, motivated and hands-on individual. On a personal level, I would never criticise her efforts and I appreciate what she has done.

It is heartwarming to see the cross-party support for this motion on an issue which really is a national scourge. There are many similarities to the loneliness campaign and the loneliness task force insofar as the drug problem does not discriminate between old or young, rich or poor, urban or rural. As Senator Paul Daly mentioned, this is affecting all of us in every geographical location, including my town of Belmullet. At the end of the day, we are all motivated by the same agenda. We want the welfare of our citizens who are afflicted by the scourge of drugs to be improved, either directly, if they are using drugs, or indirectly, if they are, say, a family member or a victim of crime or intimidation.

I agree with many of the points raised by Senators. Senator Ruane referred to the health model. I am totally in favour of the health model, rather than solely taking the punitive approach we have adopted for far too long. In the context of the dual-diagnosis approach, we all know that drugs cause mental health issues, but, as Senator Ruane stated, it is a chicken-and-egg scenario. There are many people with mental health issues who resort to drugs as a form of release. Perhaps those in the medical profession have to hold up their hands up in that regard and accept that they could do better. I also agree that we need to take an alternative approach and look at this matter from another angle. The Senator is right that we need to engage with drug dealers on a community basis. There can be a disjoint between such people and the task force in a locality and it is important the co-ordinator in a locality comes from that locality and is appointed by that task force. If there is a perception that the person is a HSE employee, that sometimes leads to a lack of engagement with the programmes.

Of course, Senator Gavan is right that, during the time of austerity under Fianna Fáil, there was a reduction in funding to the task forces in line with other HSE reductions. However, it is also worth noting that the funding has stagnated and there has only been a 1.5% increase in the past five years despite a 28% increase in the overall health budget. Senator Wilson will be familiar with one gentleman, Tim Murphy from the Cavan and Monaghan drug and alcohol services, who stated that his project is in danger of closing by 2020 unless it receives additional resources.

Overall, we are all singing from the same sheet. We need to show a unified approach, as we have done today in passing this motion. Ultimately, complacency is not an option and none of us are complacent. I welcome what the Minister of State said and I thank her for her contribution.