Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
72. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice if the latest information available to her Department confirms that drug use throughout the State is at an all-time high; the steps being taken by her Department to address the deepening crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16675/22]
View answerThe latest information available to the Minister's Department confirms that drug use throughout the State is at an all-time high. What steps are being taken by the Department to address the deepening crisis, and will the Minister make a statement on the matter? I am shocked to see the extent of the use of drugs in Ireland in all sectors of communities, young, old, male and female. There are no boundaries.
I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government is acutely aware of the sustained and significant damage drug dealing has on communities. Organised criminal activity, including drug dealing, represents a serious threat to community safety and to individuals.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Health leads on Government policy in the area of drugs, and this policy is guided by the national drugs and alcohol strategy: Reducing Harm,Supporting Recovery: A health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025.
This strategy represents a whole-of-government response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland. Implementation is led by my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Feighan, and encompasses actions for all stakeholders, including An Garda Síochána and my Department.
The Government’s strategic approach is health-led, to try to reduce demand while balancing this with reducing access to illegal drugs. It also aims to reduce the numbers criminalised for the possession of drugs for personal use, diverting these people to health and diversion treatments to address their habits and behaviours. While the strategy aims to support the most vulnerable people who use drugs, it is also matched with strong enforcement measures across government to tackle the supply of illegal drugs. I share the Garda Commissioner’s and the Deputy's concern about the prevalence of illegal drug use, and I am glad sustained action by An Garda Síochána to tackle this continued apace throughout the pandemic, resulting in increased convictions and ongoing seizures of drugs as well as volumes of firearms, ammunition and cash that inevitably accompany this very serious organised criminal activity.
The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau is having significant success in disrupting drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs by organised crime groups. I am advised by the Garda authorities that, in 2021, the bureau seized almost €64 million worth of illicit drugs and more than €5.6 million in cash, a significant increase from 2019, when more than €21 million, still a significant amount, worth of illicit drugs and in excess of €2.5 million in cash was seized. The bureau’s work is supported by divisional drugs units nationwide and by all gardaí working in local communities. The bureau also works closely and productively with international law enforcement partners, which is important. Gardaí continue to work closely with local authorities, the HSE, NGOs, community groups and other State agencies to tackle the problems of drug addiction and abuse. It is an ongoing issue and it requires sustained ongoing support from An Garda Síochána.
The Minister says in Justice Plan 2022 that she wants to make a real difference in people's lives. More gardaí on the beat would make a real difference in rural communities. Does the Minister realise the Garda station in Newcastle West closed down three years ago to move to a temporary station? The divisional headquarters takes in the greater proportion of County Limerick, but the new Garda station has not even been commenced. Askeaton Garda station is open only for administrative use. How can we be serious about a Garda division in our area and for Newcastle West, given its population and that of the surrounding district? We do not even have a Garda headquarters. It was closed down three years ago to build a state-of-the-art new Garda station that has not yet commenced. How can I take it seriously that the Minister and the Department want to help me tackle drug crime in County Limerick if they have not even given me the divisional Garda station? It has not even been commenced three years after the closing down of the old Garda station.
First, in terms of Garda numbers, there has been an increase across every county in the country, and Limerick is no different. The number of members of all ranks assigned to the Limerick division is 596, which is a 7.6% increase since 2015. As well as that, the number of Garda staff has increased from 51 to 78, which is an increase of 52%. That obviously allows more gardaí to be out on the beat. Yes, it is important to have that physical building. We have a capital plan that I am working on at present with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Garda Commissioner. However, it is not just about buildings but making sure we have gardaí out on the ground. It is also about making sure we have the right policies and legislation in place.
The Deputy mentioned the justice plan. In view of organised crime, its connection with drugs and the people who are now being dragged into this, there are a number of actions in that plan. There is a plan to criminalise those who groom younger people. This is legislation I brought forward last year and we are working on it at present. We have a plan to make sure there are life sentences for those who attempt murder but are not successful. There are a number of other legislative measures and policy reforms to try to deal with the substance of this, separate to the police numbers, the equipment, the supports and the resources the Garda has as well.
Some 596 gardaí were allocated to Limerick. Of those, 92 were superintendents, detectives and sergeants. There are 7,596 uniformed gardaí in the country out of 8,539, if the detectives are removed from that. Will the Minister explain why Dublin, with a population of 1.4 million, takes 44% of the new recruits? When there is a population of more than 5 million in Ireland, that is not proportionate for the area. How does the Minister expect us to police our counties when 44% of gardaí are deployed in Dublin? Going by population, outside that 1.4 million, that leaves 3.6 million people with 56% of the gardaí deployed. Even though some of the Garda stations might cover districts of more than 40 square miles, most of the gardaí are deployed to Dublin.
The Deputy will appreciate that the deployment of gardaí and resources and how they are deployed are a matter for the Garda Commissioner. As Minister for Justice, I must make sure the resources are available and that gardaí are coming out of Templemore. As I mentioned earlier, more than 10,000 people have applied to the recent Garda recruitment campaign. That is very welcome. The more of them who come out on the beat as quickly as possible, the more they can be spread throughout the country and not just into areas of high density and high population, given the Deputy's reference to Dublin.
We can do a number of things to try to deal with not just the issue of drugs but also so much that is connected to it, such as criminality, gangs, younger people being dragged into that and the impact it has on our communities. Another way we are trying to deal with that is the community safety partnership, which is being rolled out in three pilot areas. That will come with a fund, money that is coming specifically from seizures of drugs and other things by the Garda. This funding will be available to communities to be able to implement schemes in their towns and villages to try to keep them safe. It is about the Garda working with all the State agencies and working with communities to make sure the supports and resources that suit their needs are there. What people need in Limerick might be different from what people need in Meath and different again from what people need in other counties.
