Vol. 342 No. 8
asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the committee of Ministers of State which, according to media reports, he has set up to deal with the problem of heroin and hard drugs; and if he will make a statement on the membership and terms of reference of the committee.
11.
asked the Minister for Health the action the Government will take to combat the horrific heroin problem in parts of Dublin city, and specifically, in view of the very recent report of the Medico-Social Research Board that over 10 per cent of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in one north inner-city area are using heroin; and the immediate and specific action that will be taken to assist the community to deal with the problem there.
12.
asked the Minister for Health when the committee of Ministers of State established to deal with the problems of drug abuse is expected to report; and if, in view of the urgency of the matter, he will ask the committee to produce an interim report as soon as possible.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 12 inclusive together.
The Government have established a Special Governmental Task Force on Drug Abuse because of their concern about the growing drug problem. Its terms of reference are to review and report on the question of drug abuse, with particular reference to the inner-city area of Dublin. The Government will then decide what should be done to tackle the drug problem, based on whatever recommendations are in the task force's report.
The membership of the task force is the Minister for Health who is chairman but I have delegated that to the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy O'Brien, the deputy chairman. The Ministers of State at the Departments of Justice, Deputy Fennell, Education, Deputy Creed, Foreign Affairs, Deputy J. O'Keeffe, Environment, Deputy Quinn and Labour, Deputy G. Birmingham are also members. The first meeting of the task force was on Thursday, 28 April 1983.
On the question of giving assistance to the community in the north centre city area of Dublin, I recently gave £20,000 to the Eastern Health Board for a youth development project in this area. This project will consist of an advisory and educational programme which is being established as a response to the special needs of the children in the area.
As I expect the task force to report in about five weeks, there will not be a need for the submission of an interim report.
I am sure the Minister is familiar with the recent report of the Medico-Social Research Board which stated that more than 10 per cent of young people in one parish in the centre city area are using heroin. Given the evidence in that report, does the Minister consider there is an immediate emergency need for a special rehabilitation programme and centre to cater specifically for the needs of those heroin addicts in the centre city area and also in view of the fact that many of them are under the age of 18 years, for whom there is no centre relevant to their needs? The existing rehabilitation centre based at Coolmine is not specifically relevant to children from that cultural background.
Last month as an immediate measure the Eastern Health Board wrote to my Department after a series of efforts in which the Deputy was also involved last May and June. They did not come to fruition for various reasons, none of which was the fault of the Department of Health or the Eastern Health Board. Finally the health board wrote to my Department requesting £20,000 to enable a drug advisory treatment centre at Jervis Street to establish a service in association with a local committee. I gave my approval on 27 April and the project, which will be of a pilot nature, will be reviewed after one year. I am particularly concerned about the situation in the inner city area of Dublin. The Deputy knows the ward area well. I have also taken other immediate action such as referring a number of doctors to the Medical Council for investigation. So far I have referred three doctors and I have issued temporary directions in relation to one doctor in the Dublin area. I can assure the Deputy I am taking every immediate action possible. A number of other doctors will be investigated in the coming weeks.
I hardly think the Minister is seriously suggesting that the allocation of £20,000 for what amounts to an information centre in the centre city area is a treatment or a rehabilitation centre for those addicted to heroin. Regardless of the £20,000 that seems to have been mentioned everywhere by the previous Government and by this Government, I am sure the Minister is aware that it will not make any special impact on the problem ——
Will the Deputy please ask a question?
I am leading to it. I am sure the Minister knows that the allocation of £20,000 will not have any impact on the problem as outlined in the report of the Medico-Social Research Board. Will he respond specifically to my question, namely, does he see the need for a special re-habilitation centre? Does he see the need for further treatment facilities, given the overcrowded pre-fabs that exist at Jervis Street being the only treatment facilities available for heroin addicts? Does he see an immediate emergency need for the expansion of treatment facilities as distinct from a rehabilitation centre? The Minister has told us that he has referred a number of doctors to the Medical Council. I am aware that this relates to the availability of the drug diaconal to heroin addicts ——
This is Question Time and the Deputy must ask a question.
I am leading to a question.
The Deputy cannot lead to a question by making a statement giving a lot of information.
I am asking specific questions that are related to the Minister's responsibility, unlike many of the supplementaries on a previous question which related to the Department of Justice. I am trying to be helpful and to ask specific questions related to the Minister's area of responsibility. Has the Minister anything in mind to ensure more stringent control over the availability of the drug diaconal other than referring two or three doctors to the Medical Council? Also, has he anything specific in mind in relation to more stringent control over the availability of hypodermics that are readily available to the youngest of adults in the centre city of Dublin?
The Deputy has referred to a number of questions. All of these questions are currently being considered by the special committee of the Ministers of State. They are now consulting with the various statutory and voluntary bodies in relation to those questions. I readily accept the inadequacy pointed out by the Deputy in relation to the current drug advisory and treatment centre in Jervis Street. I am aware of the inadequacy there despite the fact that it rather heroically tries to provide a 24hour day, seven-day-a-week out-patient and advisory service for drug abusers. The more recent report came to my attention on 18 April 1983 and within a matter of a few weeks I enabled the publication of this report. I brought it immediately to the attention of the Government and emergency action is being taken in this area. There are so many questions raised by the Deputy that I strongly suggest that he should make contact with the special task force, have a meeting with them and give them the benefit of his views and information on the matter.
With regard to the Minister's reply, particularly relating to the reference of three doctors to the medical council, was this for over-prescription of drugs or prescribing particular drugs? Has the question of criminal proceedings been considered in relation to these doctors?
I am sure the Deputy is aware that the matter largely relates to the regulations under the misuse of drugs legislation and to what is known as irresponsible prescribing. I am precluded from giving further details because there are a number of appeals and a number of committee of inquiry proceedings going on at the moment. I assure the Deputy that in any incident where the Garda investigations have brought to my attention irresponsible prescribing — I have now had at least five such incidents throughout the country — I immediately took action on it, either reference to the medical council or took temporary directions under the legislation.
In relation to my earlier questions, how soon will the Government task force be reporting? How quickly does the Minister feel he will be able to respond to the specific questions I asked? Is he concerned that the concentrated use of heroin seems to be confined to areas of acute social disadvantage? I am sure the Minister sees a link between the two. Is he concerned that his Department withdrew funds from community projects operating in that specific area? Will he consider the reallocation of funds to a specific project, of which he is well aware, which was working with young people who, in many cases, were involved with heroin?
The Deputy is correct in relation to the socio-economic groupings involved. The most recent report shows that only six of the 88 heroin abusers between the ages of 15 and 24 had gone to a secondary school and ten of them could not read or write. Of the 88 only four were employed and a very large number of them had been in prison at one time or another. I would not agree with the Deputy that I have in any way diminished the availability of funds to the inner city area of Dublin.
