I thank the Deputy for highlighting this very important issue and the 161 recommendations. First, I thank the Joint Committee on Drug Use for its work. I welcomed the report and I am in agreement with many of its recommendations. As the Deputy will be aware, earlier this year I published a draft of the national drugs strategy. I delayed it because I wanted to work with the committee. Three things happened and this was why it was delayed, by the way. It was not that we went ahead and did the drugs strategy. I delayed it because of this. The three things were: first, public consultation to ensure everything could be shared; and, second, a stakeholder engagement process on the future shape of the structure under the HSE. As the Deputy knows, we have six health regions. We were very mindful in the new drugs strategy we involved every region. The third thing was the Joint Committee on Drugs Use. We waited until the Deputy’s committee had its recommendations, so we could work with it. That needs to be clarified. The committee's report sets out its consideration of the 36 recommendations of Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use. The views of the committee will contribute to the development of an integrated and evidence-informed health-led response to drug use. I acknowledge the 161 recommendations made by the committee, several of which relate to the national drugs strategy. I have asked that these recommendations are taken into account in the finalisation of the strategy. I hope it will be finalised by 1 September. It is important to say to the Deputy and the committee, which has done great work, that many of the 161 recommendations are relevant to several Departments, so it is not just my own one. They fall between different Departments. I requested that consideration is given to these by my Government colleagues. I am now working with my Government colleagues on these.
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No.
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No. I thank the Deputy again for her work on the drugs committee. The vast majority of the 161 recommendations will be in the new drugs strategy but one of the recommendations was on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. It falls under section 3. That legalises drugs. It is important we tell the people of the concern. The programme for Government reaffirms the Government’s commitment to a health-led approach to drug use and to divert those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services. I, and the Minister for justice and the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, have agreed a health referral scheme, which will commence in September. The Minister and I, working with the Minister for justice, Deputy O’Callaghan, are looking at 1 September for the new drugs strategy and the new health referral scheme working together. As the Deputy said, this is about the most vulnerable in our society. I have visited most services around the country. I see the affect drugs have on people and their families. It is so important that we get this right. I assure the Deputy that the Minister and I are 100% committed to this.
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Again, I have to disagree with the Deputy on that. We had a total of 15,422 cases in treatment, so we are doing work and that message needs to get out there. I visit the services around the country. I know we need to do more. The Minister and I are very mindful that we always need to put more funding into services but there are services there. As I said, there are challenges too but we are providing services. This is about everyone working together and about a health referral scheme that will give people the option to look at that. We have nine SAOR HSE workers who have been appointed across the country who will be working with this. So much work is being done on this. While this particular recommendation was the focus, I went through most of the 161 recommendations with my Department. As I said, some of the recommendations relate to other Departments. There is work being done, we are working with the committee’s recommendations and we are working with other services. My Department, the Minister and I waited so we could work with everybody. We will not get everything but at least we are working on health referral scheme. That is the way it will be.
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