Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I tabled this matter on heroin abuse and the escalation of drug use in Cork city because it has become a major issue in recent years. It is widely recognised that the use of heroin and other classified drugs has increased significantly in Cork and other regional centres in the past two years. What was once considered a problem in Dublin has now become entrenched in other parts of the country, in particular in urban areas such as Cork city.

We need a serious debate on why young people in particular are attracted to the use of drugs. What are the factors that make one young person more susceptible to addiction than another? We need to ask who profits from the sale of illegal drugs and the infliction of harm on thousands of young people. Are the people who deal in drugs common criminals or do they have links with paramilitaries? We need to ask through what means drugs enter our country and what are the powers of the State — the Garda and Customs and Excise — to prevent the importation and distribution of drugs. What role does society play in the development of a culture and an environment that is tolerant of a certain type of drug use in excess — prescribed medication, alcohol, hash or cocaine? Is society willing and able to partake in the treatment and management of drug addiction through the development of community-based facilities?

We have now reached the stage where heroin is available to buy in broad daylight in our local shopping centres and in many parts of Cork city. This has become an epidemic and something needs to be done to clamp down on the problem. In April this year an inquest heard about a Georgian man who had died after buying heroin in a shopping centre in broad daylight in the middle of the afternoon. A family who recently lost their son to this horrendous addiction said the current situation in terms of receiving help was ridiculous. They said, "You have to be clean for six weeks before you can attend Arbour House," adding, "If they were clean, they wouldn't need to go there."

I pay tribute to the staff of Arbour House and other addiction counselling centres in Cork for the great work they are doing. In recent weeks we have become aware of drug related deaths in Cork city. Dr. Chris Luke, a leading accident and emergency consultant, has warned that this year at least 12 people from Cork will die from overdoses alone. He has said the problem has spiralled out of control in recent years. At the start of this decade he was seeing one or two cases of heroin addiction every year, whereas now he sees almost one a day.

We need to examine what we can do to alleviate the problem of drug addiction. It is time the Minister of State with responsibility for the matter, Deputy Curran, brought together the statutory agencies, including the Garda Síochána, the HSE, youth diversion programmes, local drug task forces and local politicians, in order that they can provide better facilities to ensure such persons can have the best chance of recovery. In that way we could counter the growing rise of drug abuse in Cork city and county. Why is there a waiting list to attend Arbour House? Why are centres such as Tabor Lodge having to wait for detox beds? Why do we not have sufficient such beds? Why is there a waiting list for people who wish to access addiction treatment, including counselling? Mr. Tony Geoghegan, the chief executive of the Merchant's Quay Project — the largest voluntary drug treatment centre in Dublin — has called for changes to the mechanisms involved. We need a multi-faceted, multi-agency plan to tackle drug pushing and addiction. There is a need for greater resourcing of treatment places.

I compliment the Garda Síochána and local drugs task forces on the work they are doing. The authorities, including the Judiciary, need to take on those who deal in drugs and are terrorising communities, especially in Cork city. The Garda needs to be resourced better. It has shown through Operation Reuben that we can have a response to the problem of drug abuse. We cannot wait for the publication of the report of the National Forum on Drugs; we need an action plan now.

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to respond to Senator Buttimer on this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Curran.

Under the national drugs strategy, each of the 14 local drugs task forces, including the one in Cork, has in place an action plan to tackle drugs misuse in its area based on its own identified priorities. Funding for the Cork local drugs task force in 2009 is over €1,760,000. There is also mainstreamed funding available through the HSE and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I understand 35 projects are in place in the local drugs task force area, including mainstreamed and interim funded projects. Of these, 16 are community-based drugs projects, all of which would have one full-time staff member; two of the projects have two full-time workers, that is, 18 full-time community drugs workers in the area.

In terms of education and prevention, the following projects were established: Cork community drugs prevention projects, the club Cork project, the Dion project, the youth information centre and the school support project. In terms of treatment and rehabilitation, the following projects were established: the Cork YMCA youth counselling and support project, the youth health service, the community drugs team, the community-based response to cocaine and Fellowship House, a half-way house for men. Other important initiatives also developed in recent years include: the family support project, the parent support group, the Traveller visibility group, and development and administration support for the task force.

With regard to the southern regional drugs task force which is supported by funding in the region of €800,000 for Cork county, there are seven community drugs initiatives helping young people, each supporting at least 30 people. In addition, there is a link worker in the county who supports people coming out of treatment. Also, there are four after-care workers who work with people to prevent relapse.

The regional drugs task force also operates the strengthening families programme which supports families that have addiction issues. Local and regional drugs task forces are co-operating in developing a response to the growing heroin problem in the city and county.

The response to problem drug use includes the development of a new national drugs strategy for 2009-16 which has just been approved by the Government. Our policy approach to the drugs problem needs to ensure our actions are targeted to achieve the optimum effect. The emphasis has to be on having the appropriate mix of supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research measures in place to endeavour to deal with problems where they arise and minimise the use of drugs across the country.

In regard to treatment and rehabilitation, the new strategy will aim to develop a national integrated treatment and rehabilitation service that provides drug-free and harm reduction approaches for problem substance users; to use a four-tier model approach, underpinned by an appropriate clinical governance regime; to encourage problem drug users to engage with and avail of such services; to maximise operational synergies between drug addiction services, alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services, general hospital services and mental health services; to expand the availability of detox facilities, opiate substitution services, under-18 services and needle exchange services, where required; and to encourage clients and service providers to push towards rehabilitation, with the necessary link-ups to other services.

Our work on the new national strategy will focus our efforts at national level and, in turn, help to support the invaluable work being done by the local and regional drugs task forces, including the progress being made by the Cork local drugs task force and the southern regional drugs task force.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I will allow Senator Buttimer to ask a brief supplementary question.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I will be very brief. I appreciate the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of her colleague, but this is a standard format reply, particularly the last half, on aspirational matters. The Minister of State did not say funding for the drugs task forces had been cut, that we had no detox beds and that there were waiting lists for such treatment. We cannot wait for the new national drugs strategy. It has been approved by the Government, but when will it be published? When will we see the action points being delivered upon? A crisis is beginning to brew in Cork again; therefore, the work of the Garda Síochána and the relevant agencies needs to be augmented by the Government. However, that is not being done. I am concerned that if we procrastinate on taking action, the problem will escalate. We need to support the Garda and the drugs task forces through a co-ordinated approach taken by all the agencies involved, including Cork City Council, but that is not happening.

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I will take on board what the Senator has said. The idea behind the national drugs strategy is to co-ordinate the work done by all the services mentioned. I will pass on to the Minister of State the points made by the Senator.