Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 November 2018
8. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons convicted for importing or selling illegal steroids and illegal performance enhancing drugs in each of the years 2014 to 2017, and to date in 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49786/18]
View answerMy question simply asks the Minister for the number of persons convicted of importing or selling illegal steroids and illegal performance enhancing drugs in each of the years 2014 to 2017, and to date in 2018. This is something that goes on behind the scenes and is under the radar but it is something on which the Oireachtas should have a bit more focus.
Under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions, including the provision of information on the courts system.
To be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had inquiries made and the Courts Service has advised that courts statistics are not compiled in such a way as to provide the information sought by her regarding the number of persons convicted for importing or selling illegal steroids and illegal performance enhancing drugs. I have requested the Courts Service to examine the requirements, including system development and resource issues, needed to enable the compilation of such statistics going forward.
However, she will also be aware that the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, which comes under the remit of the Minister for Health, is the competent authority for the implementation of EU and national legislation relating to medicines in Ireland. One of the HPRA's roles is to investigate potential breaches of legislation and, where necessary, take corrective action, including legal proceedings. My officials have been informed by the Department of Health that the HPRA initiated ten prosecutions relating to the unauthorised supply of anabolic steroid containing medicines between 2014 and 2017. Of those, seven resulted in a guilty plea or a conviction; two in 2017 and five in 2018, and the remaining three cases are pending court hearings.
The prosecutions have included the offences of manufacturing, advertising and supply without prescription to individuals and for wholesale supply. If any person is offering, facilitating the supply of, or supplying anabolic steroid containing medicines in breach of the legislation, he or she risks investigation at the hands of the HPRA and may face enforcement actions up to and including prosecution.
Anabolic steroids, which are used to increase muscle mass, comprised almost half of the medicines seized last year. We are attempting to get a clear picture on the issue from all Departments because, as the Minister pointed out, the issue does not only concern one Department.
The HPRA seized 450,000 doses of anabolic steroids in 2017 in comparison to just 109,000 in 2016. That would indicate that there is an increase in the use of such drugs. I am not sure whether the Minister is aware of a condition known as muscle dysmorphia. It is where a person becomes obsessively focused on not being muscular enough and it affects more men than women. It is an issue we should tackle. We are all having conversations about how men behave but we must also consider how men view themselves and what can be done in that regard. Our interest is to ascertain if there is an increase in such drug usage and to try to understand the reason.
I accept the Deputy's point that while this is primarily an issue for the Department of Health and its agencies, it comes under the justice remit. I would be happy to engage further as needs be. My officials have been informed by the Department of Health that in 2017 the HPRA, working in conjunction with An Garda Síochána and Revenue's customs service, detained almost 500,000 anabolic steroid dosage units in tablets and capsules form, compared to a little more than 100,000 units detained in 2016. That reflects the impact of intelligence-led enforcement activity by the HPRA, acting in conjunction with State agencies across a range of Departments. I am keen to ensure that my Department and the Garda Síochána can continue to play our part in the enforcement of such actions.
In response to a parliamentary question, I was advised by the HSE that the number of emergency inpatient discharges relating to steroid use was 174 in 2011 and last year that had increased to 398. Some aspects of the problem need to be dealt with from a health perspective but tackling the importation and sale of illegal substances is a justice matter and more needs to be done to stop the drugs being sold in gyms and sports clubs. Given that there is an increase in such drug use, if we fail to tackle this issue now it will go further underground.
I fully appreciate the Minister's response and I accept that this is, in part, a matter for the Department of Health but aspects of this problem need to be addressed from the perspective of justice, which means tackling the importation and sale of illegal substances.
In line with the Garda Síochána strategy statement for 2016 to 2018, supported by the Garda Síochána modernisation and renewal programme for the period 2016 to 2021, An Garda Síochána continues to play an important and proactive role in confronting drug-related crime, utilising intelligence-led operations. I acknowledge the importance of the Garda Síochána's National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, established in 2015, which is leading the policing strategy for tackling drugs by demand reduction and supply reduction strategies, and is working in conjunction with divisional drug units across the country.
From a criminal justice perspective, this work fits neatly into the actions on the part of my colleague, the Minister for Health, on the Department of Health strategy, reducing harm, supporting recovery and the new public information campaign to raise awareness of the serious side effects and the risk to health of using unprescribed anabolic steroids. The campaign was announced in recent weeks. Between the HPRA and the public information campaign by the Minister for Health, on the one hand, and the deterrent factor involved in the criminal justice approach of An Garda Síochána, I assure the Deputy that we will continue to prioritise this important matter.
