Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to be talking to the Senator about this matter today. The strategic action plan 2023-24 marked a significant milestone in the implementation of the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. It contained 34 actions across six strategic priorities. These were to: strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people; enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in our communities; develop integrated care pathways for high-risk drug users to achieve better health outcomes; address the social determinants and consequences of drug use in disadvantaged communities; promote alternatives to coercive sanctions for drug-related offences; and strengthen evidence-informed and outcomes-focused practice, services, policies and strategy implementation.

The completion of this strategic action plan marks the end of the current national drugs strategy, as the Senator mentioned. The Department of Health has commissioned an independent evaluation of the strategy and the action plan, which is expected, and we are hoping, will be completed in the second quarter of 2025. The evaluation is being conducted, as the Senator said, by Grant Thornton, which was appointed following a public procurement process.

It will consult with stakeholders involved in the oversight of the strategy, including the network of drug and alcohol task forces and organisations such the National Voluntary Drug and Alcohol Sector, UISCE, CityWide and other community-based drug services. This is part of the programme, and this is what we need to look at. At the same time, the Department of Health has commenced work on preparing a new national drugs strategy. The new strategy will be informed by the evaluation, which is looking at the existing strategy, the Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use, the programme for Government, developments in the EU drugs strategy and action plan, and consultations with stakeholders, which is an important matter to the Senator.

To support the development of the next strategy, the Department has convened a number of in-person consultations with key stakeholders. The themes of the consultations include priorities for the new strategy; planning and delivery of drug services in the HSE health regions; the lived and living experience of people who use drugs and their families, which I know the Senator is passionate about and is important; the development of the drugs workforce; and drug prevention. More than 250 people have attended the consultations to date. These include representatives of drug and alcohol task forces, drug service providers and civil society organisations. The consultations are being facilitated and reported upon by independent consultants. I expect to receive the reports of the consultations shortly.

A key component of the new strategy will be the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use. The report argues for a comprehensive health-led response to drugs. It contains 36 recommendations on prevention, harms reduction, treatment and recovery. The Joint Committee on Drugs Use supported the recommendations in its interim report in October 2024.

As Minister of State with responsibility for the national drug strategy, I look forward to finalising the draft of the new strategy in the coming months. We cannot be complacent as to the societal harms and dangers associated with illicit drug use and a volatile drug market. The new strategy will set out an ambitious vision for preventing drug use, improving access to evidence-based treatment services and supporting people’s recovery from drug use. It will also strengthen co-operation with EU member states, the British-Irish Council and the Council of Europe in addressing the challenges of illicit drug use. It is my intention to engage with the Oireachtas in implementing this new strategy because I am conscious that we need to have cross-party support for it. We all need to work together on this.