Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for bringing his experience to bear on this debate. Essentially, what is happening here is that we are amending the principal Act to say a member of the Defence Forces shall be subject to drug testing in accordance with regulation made under this section. The Minister may, in relation to members of the Defence Forces, make regulations to provide for the establishment, maintenance and operation of a regime of testing for controlled drugs and psychoactive substances which provide for a, b, c, d, e. The point I make on this is it is rare that we would get into what the operational details of what that regime will ultimately be, but obviously they are clear objective benchmarks in terms of what is already happening in society. For example, medical advice and expertise would have to be taken on board prior to the drafting of those regulations to provide for the very points the Senator has made - to protect people who, for example, may inadvertently have taken a substance, who may be attending a doctor or taking prescribed medicine for a particular ailment or condition. I will clarify that further between now and Report Stage, but it would be highly unusual that we make the regime now. My own sense is it would have to be a structured regime and there can be no surprises either, if I am honest. People should be fully transparent in terms of what is involved. Ultimately, to go back to the Senator's point, because it is the Defence Forces, this is for the ultimate protection of members themselves and the public because misuse of drugs becomes a very serious issue. Unfortunately, in modern society there is a higher incidence of this. Equally, there should be alcohol policies. We are now into the terrain of psychoactive substances, drugs and so forth, which are problematic generally across society. It has a particular application in the Defence Forces due to the presence of weaponry and the serious responsibility in terms of safety, protection of the public, members themselves, fellow colleagues and so on.