Dee Ryan (Fianna Fail)

Yesterday we had the pleasure of welcoming the Minister for Justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, to Limerick. He had a very full and busy day, with a long itinerary that started with inspecting the construction of the new Garda station that is under way at Newcastle West. We expect that development to be handed back to the State in the summer of 2026. He then went on to Limerick City, and I accompanied him on his visit to Limerick Prison and to a briefing with gardaí at Henry Street on the community access support team and the results so far from that innovative new pilot programme between HSE mid-west and the Garda. He went on to meet with members of the business community who are predominantly involved in retail and hospitality in the city centre and then on to the Bedford Row project, a voluntary organisation that provides support for the families and loved ones of prisoners. Finally, we finished at Adapt House, on what was my second visit in just a short few weeks. We wanted the Minister to see the fantastic work being done there by one of the largest women's refuge centres in the country. The common theme across each of the sites we visited was drug and alcohol addiction. The governor of Limerick Prison, Mark Kennedy, and the director general of the Irish Prison Service, Caron McCaffrey, highlighted to us that 80% of prisoners arriving into Limerick Prison are suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, or both. When we went on to visit other organisations with the gardaí, members of the community access support team talked to us about how much de-escalation of situations fuelled by, or originating in, drug and alcohol addiction they are dealing with. The families in the Bedford Row support centre talked about how their children and their lives are impacted by their loved ones going to prison. I ask that we invite the Minister of State with responsibility for public health, well-being and the national drug strategy, Deputy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, to address the Chamber and update us on the goals of the programme for Government in this very important space.