Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 24:

In page 8, after line 33, to insert the following:

“Amendment of Schedule 3 to Act of 2012

8.Schedule 3 to the Act of 2012 is amended in paragraph 16 by substituting “an offence under” for “a first offence under”.”.

I have tabled the amendment in the same vein as amendment No. 15 and in light of the recently heralded shift in the Department towards a health-led approach to drug policy rather than one rooted in the criminal justice system. The list of excluded offences for the purposes of Garda vetting provides that a first conviction for simple possession of drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act can become spent but that second and subsequent offences cannot. If drug possession is a health issue in the first instance, it must be a health issue thereafter.I propose, therefore, that second and subsequent offences for simple possession become spent in Garda vetting. It is a logical next step following amendment No. 15 and the setting of a maximum waiting period for drugs offences. I hope the Minister can accept the amendment considering his Department's recent commitment to adopting a health-led approach following the report in July from the working group on the possession of drugs.