Written answers

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

Department of Health

Citizens' Assembly

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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1490. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the date for commencement for the citizens’ assembly on drugs which the Government has committed to holding in 2022. [63398/21]

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Consideration is being given to the appropriate methodology for future citizens' assemblies, including one on drugs use. Decisions will be guided by the experience of the Gender Equality Assembly which completed earlier this year. An independent researcher was appointed by the Assembly to monitor and record, amongst other things, the perceived deliberative quality of the Assembly. This report, published in July 2021, will assist in decisions on future Assemblies use of virtual meetings.

By their very nature, citizens assemblies require large gatherings to be truly effective. Therefore, there has been an unavoidable delay in the establishment of the next citizens' assembly due to public health restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department of Health continues to liaise with the Department of the Taoiseach on the timing and format of the proposed citizen assembly on drug use. It is envisaged that the remaining citizen assembly, including the citizen assembly on drug use, will be established after the Dublin mayor citizens' assembly has completed its work. The specific timing of each assembly has yet to be confirmed.

The Department of Health's approach to the citizen assembly on drugs use will be informed by the Government's health-led approach to people who use drugs, as outlined in the national drugs strategy. An important component of the health-led approach is the Health Diversion Programme. The Health Diversion Programme offers compassion, not punishment, to people who use drugs and connects them with health services and provides a pathway to recovery, thereby avoiding a criminal conviction. As outlined in the Programme for Government, the programme will be reviewed after the first full year of implementation to ensure that it is meeting all of it aims and to make any necessary changes. This review could usefully inform the deliberations of the citizen's assembly on drug use.

A strategic priority for the implementation of the national drugs strategy for 2021-2025 is to promote alternatives to coercive sanctions for drug-related offences. This will include the exchange of best practice with EU member states, as part of theEU Drugs Strategy 2021 – 2025.

I believe that a citizen's assembly could usefully consider the learnings from the health diversion programme and other similar alternatives to coercive sanctions. It could also inform the development of the next national drugs strategy, to replace the existing strategy in 2025.

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