Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Mar 1997

Vol. 476 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Drug Treatment Programmes.

Mr. Lawlor

I want some clarification of drug treatment programmes in the Eastern Health Board area. I ask the Minister to meet the chairman and chief executive of the Eastern Health Board to discuss its methodology and proposals to deal with a difficult problem. Both sides of the House want a commitment to see the right thing done. We also want to help the community who are fortunate enough not to have come into contact with drug addiction.

In my constituency, the Eastern Health Board is repeatedly seeking consultation, thereby raising people's fears. The "not in my backyard" syndrome and genuine concerns are then reflected in opposition. The Eastern Health Board then decides to do what it proposed in the first instance. Following the consultation process and the highlighting of objections it provides methadone and other programmes for those who are prepared to enrol on them.

The board has no option but to utilise current facilities for drug treatment. Sometimes these are in the most unsuitable locations — child care clinics and Eastern Health Board clinics which provide for the normal medical requirements of young, growing areas. There is a drugs problem in these areas and we all have to share responsibility for it. A drug treatment centre was transferred from my constituency to Baggot Street, in Deputy Michael McDowell's constituency. It was felt that everyone should take their own share of responsibility and that too many programmes should not be foisted on any one community, causing drug addicts to congregate there. When a treatment centre was proposed for the rear of James Connolly Hospital, opposite an open space where children play, the parents in that area automatically assumed the centre was undesirable and unacceptable.

I sympathise with the personnel working in the Eastern Health Board who have attended public meetings and encountered vigorous opposition. They are seen as the people foisting these facilities on communities. The health board should ensure its role is not hijacked. Various public representatives are purporting to solve the problem and taking on the role of health board ambassadors. A circular was sent around my constituency telling people about the drugs affliction in certain areas and that there are 30 people affected, including teenagers and young people in their 20s. These people are claiming to be pioneers for the health board and are turning the issue into a political football.

I hope the Minister discusses the programme for tackling the problem with the Eastern Health Board. It should make decisions in its best judgment and communicate these to communities. It should stop arm's length communication. When it encounters resistance, its role is hijacked by the local drugs action committees which attempt to tackle the problem by railroading over the feelings of the local community.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. O'Shea)

The Eastern Health Board, which is responsible for the provision of services for drug misusers in the Blakestown and Mountview areas, is aware that there is a drugs problem in these areas. In developing responses and treatment facilities for drug misusers, the board has undertaken to provide services only to people from the local area.

A limited counselling service is provided on the basis of appointment only in Roselawn Health Centre to clients with problems of alcohol and drug addiction. Mountview Health Centre is used for counselling a small number of drug misusers from the local area on an occasional basis, strictly by appointment only. No other treatment services are provided in these centres.

One of the education officers, just recruited by the Eastern Health Board, will work in the Dublin 15 area providing education and training to young people and their parents. This officer will also liaise with schools and youth groups in the area with a view to involving them in a concerted action aimed at preventing young people turning to drugs in the first instance.

I share Deputy Lawlor's concern about the drugs problem but it must be acknowledged that, in almost every part of this city, the threat of drugs is a reality. Unless all agencies are vigilant and take a proactive approach to the problem it may get out of hand very quickly. Preventive measures, such as health education and counselling, play a significant part in tackling the problem at an early stage.

I urge local communities to be supportive of Eastern Health Board initiatives in this area. The board is conscious of the need to engage the support of local communities in developing services to respond to the threat drugs pose to them. It is also aware that such support is more likely to be forthcoming if full and open consultation with communities takes place and is firmly committed to that approach.

A most significant recent development throughout the city has been the positive support of local communities for locally-based initiatives. In this respect the Eastern Health Board received tremendous support from the communities of Blakestown and Mountview in identifying the nature of the services required in the area. I hope this support will continue as it is only with integrated action that efforts to stem the rising problem of drug misuse can be addressed.