Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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139. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average purity of cocaine, heroin and cannabis seized here in each of the past five years. [24718/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) quantifies drug purity levels in the market for cocaine and diamorphine (heroin) and provides annual trend information to An Garda Síochána, the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders in the Criminal Justice field. For operational reasons and for the purposes of the Criminal Justice system, such information is confidential, except to relevant stakeholders.

Tackling drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation, violence and misery on families and communities, is a top priority for the Government and my Department.

A number of key actions have been taken as part of our plan to tackle illegal drug use. These include:

• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug related crime;
• Enacted new laws to criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime;
• Drafting new laws which will provide for the use of facial recognition technology in the investigation of certain drug offences;
• Rolling out a support programme to break the link between the gangs and the children they try to recruit.