Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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362. To ask the Minister for Health the legislative measures that will be introduced to enable prosecutions for the sale and possession of psychoactive substances such as Clockwork Orange; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41568/15]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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363. To ask the Minister for Health if he will update the Misuse of Drugs Acts as a matter of urgency, following a revelation on a recent Prime Time programme on Raidió Teilifís Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41646/15]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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405. To ask the Minister for Health his proposals to have some psychoactive substances such as Clockwork Orange classified as controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41551/15]

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 362, 363 and 405 together.

Following a Court of Appeal decision on 10 March which declared unconstitutional the section of the Misuse of Drugs Act empowering the Government to declare substances to be controlled under the Act, the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015 was urgently enacted to recontrol all substances which had previously been declared controlled by Government order. These included ecstasy and a large number of new psychoactive substances.

A Bill to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act to restore the Government's power to declare substances to be controlled and to clarify the provisions under which Ministerial orders and regulations are made is currently being drafted and is listed in the Government Legislative Programme for publication in 2016. Once enacted, the Government may declare new substances controlled under the Act, including new psychoactive substances such as Clockwork Orange, thereby making unauthorised possession or supply of such substances an offence.