I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Before I get on to the Bill, I want to say I am disappointed but not surprised that the Government is going to delay this Bill by nine months. Nitrous oxide is an epidemic and will only get worse in the next nine months. The Minister's amendment tonight is symptomatic of this do-nothing Government. There is no urgency and no action. It is delaying this life-changing legislation simply because it is a Sinn Féin Bill. This is no way to govern. I am sure the Minister's team of staff will find problems in the Bill and no doubt he will refer to them when he speaks, but they will be the same problems when the Minister lets the Bill pass in nine months. The Bill should be referred to the select committee at this stage because that is what the committee is for, namely, to tease out any issues with legislation. The Minister is literally kicking the can down the road. I ask him to withdraw his amendment. As the Minister is aware, nitrous oxide has legitimate purposes. It is used in the healthcare sector, in the medical sector and in veterinary businesses as well. It is commonly known on the streets as laughing gas, balloons and whippets. When people get their hands on nitrous oxide, especially young people, they inhale it through balloons. It cuts off oxygen to the brain and gives a light-headed giddy effect. That is where the name "laughing gas" came from. When it first came in, it was in small silver canisters of probably about 8 g of nitrous oxide but this has changed because of a lack of regulation over the years into super-sized canisters of 670 g. There are even bigger ones than that. Nitrous oxide causes major problems when it gets into the hands of young people. The Minister does not have to believe me, as there have been a number of reports in the last five years on nitrous oxide. The Mater hospital has said there has been an increase in the number of young people presenting to the accident and emergency department with sensory and balance issues, neurological conditions, mental health conditions and respiratory conditions. I could go on and on. Just before Christmas, Tallaght Hospital produced a report on nitrous oxide. In the previous 12 months it had 18 people presenting to the hospital who were diagnosed with a neurological condition just because of inhaling nitrous oxide. These conditions can be life-altering. As was reported on RTÉ news, children are presenting to Crumlin children's hospital with third degree burns from inhaling nitrous oxide. When let out of the canister, compressed nitrous oxide is cold. If people put it straight to their mouths, they get third degree frostbite burns. If they hold it in their hands, they get burns on their hands as well. A recent study by the adolescent addiction service in Cherry Orchard showed an increase of 175% in the number of young people presenting to the HSE's addiction services looking for help with their nitrous oxide use. I have worked in addiction services. When you see an increase of 175% in one year, you know there is a problem. The EU has produced a report and is looking to put in place a derogation to prohibit the sale of nitrous oxide to the public because of the damage it is doing to people's reproductive health. That is when it is used in a clinical setting, such as in dentistry. God knows what it is doing to young people who are inhaling nitrous oxide if it is causing damage in those controlled settings. Is this one of the reasons the Minister is kicking it down the road? Why wait? We are a sovereign country. We do not have to wait for the EU. We can do this here and now. The Bill itself is similar to legislation that was introduced in Holland a couple of years ago. There are a few changes. I thank the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers in the Oireachtas for its help on this. The Bill is 20 pages long. It was not just thrown together. It took 14 months to get to this stage. It went through every kind of critical thinking and stakeholder conversation possible. On that note, I thank the Clondalkin Drug and Alcohol Task Force for its help with the Bill. I welcome those from Dublin city's Comhairle na nÓg who are in the Gallery tonight. They have done a huge amount of work to raise awareness around nitrous oxide among young people. I will simplify these 20 pages. The Bill will require wholesalers to hold a licence to sell nitrous oxide products. Retailers who sell nitrous oxide products will need to be on a register of approved sellers. It will only be possible to sell these products to exempt purchasers. It is a simple Bill that can make a big difference. The Minister has five years. He can kick this down the road for nine years but he has five years and has not come up with an alternative. If he comes up with an alternative in his ten-minute speech after I have sat down, I am open to listening to it, but urgency is needed on this.

Sentiment score: -0.02

I just want to thank everyone who spoke in support of this Bill. I thank Deputy Crowe in particular because, in fairness to him, he did a hell of a lot of work on this Bill to make sure we protect the children and the end-user was not criminalised. I thank the other Opposition parties whose members spoke in support of the legislation, including the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, Independent Ireland and Deputy Paul Gogarty. As was said, this is a common-sense Bill and it should be allowed to go onto Committee Stage. Deputy Gannon, I think, said it is like a foundation that can be built on. I am not egotistical enough to think this Bill is absolutely perfect. I am willing to work with the Minister of State and the Government to improve it. I was bemused by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. I thought I wrote his speech myself because he was making all the same points I was making. When I come in here to talk about a Bill, often there is clear blue water between the Government and the Opposition. There did not seem to be on this legislation. I cannot think of any legitimate reason, and I know a multitude of reasons was given, other than this is just a political decision not to pass this Bill. The Minister actually commended me on the legislation itself. What he did say, which does not wash with me, is that he only became aware of this Bill in the past week. I introduced this Bill in the last Dáil term, and then I reintroduced it as soon as I could in this Dáil, so this legislation has been ready to go to Second Stage for quite some time. Every chance I get when I am in this House, and the Minister of State herself will know this, I will raise this legislation. The Minister coming in here and saying he was not aware of the Bill simply does not wash. The Minister also mentioned there were several pieces of legislation already out there that should be working in relation to combating nitrous oxide. Walk down any park, street or stream, as Deputy Crowe said, and you will see discarded nitrous oxide canisters. It is not working. How many people have been convicted of selling nitrous oxide over the past number of years? I could not find anybody who has been convicted, so the legislation out there is not working. Regarding the EU issue and kicking this down the road until the EU comes in with its derogation in 2027, I said in my contribution that we are an independent, sovereign state. We should be making our own laws. We do not have to wait for the EU to come in with a law. Holland has done it already. It came out with legislation a couple of years ago, which was very similar to this. It is not waiting on the EU. We know how liberal that country is in relation to drug laws. If it is bringing legislation to tackle nitrous oxide, we know there is a problem. The financial burden on businesses was mentioned. There is no financial burden on businesses from this legislation. There is no cost for a licence. An application is made to the Minister for the licence and to be on the approved list of retailers. There is no cost to retailers or sellers who have a legitimate reason to use nitrous oxide. The Minister also mentioned the Garda having the powers to seize nitrous oxide not being in this Bill. If we turn to sections 6 and 11, section 6 will give the Garda the power to seize nitrous oxide canisters from people who it is believed intend to use it as an intoxicant. Section 11 of this Bill sets out the powers gardaí will have to enter and search properties they reasonably suspect are being used to sell nitrous oxide without a licence or to the non-exempted purchaser. I pay tribute to Joe who works in my office. Joe, myself and the OPLA worked on this legislation. I do not have a team of staff like the Minister has. I do not think he read the Bill if he did not see sections 6 and 11 that specifically work in relation to giving the Garda the right to seize nitrous oxide canisters. The Government often comes in here and criticises the Opposition for not bringing solutions. I am bringing in solutions. I was on "Prime Time" with the Minister of State a month ago and I offered her the Bill. She can take the Bill and call it a Government Bill. As Deputy Crowe said, I do not really care who brings this legislation in. The Clondalkin drug and alcohol task force has said children as young as 12 are using its service because of nitrous oxide use. Is it okay for those 12-year-olds to turn into 13-year-olds? This period of nine months does not make sense. I said I am willing to work with anyone on this legislation. No legislation is perfect. The Government brings forward amendments, and then it tables amendments to its own legislation, so do not criticise the Opposition for doing the same. I am willing to work with the Government, all parties and none, to bring this legislation in. At this stage, I will be asking the Minister of State to withdraw this amendment because I really do not think it is good enough. We are giving the Government a solution. We are giving it the answer. We are willing to work with it but it is kicking us down the road.

Sentiment score: 0.09