Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 Feb 2000

Vol. 513 No. 4

Written Answers. - Drug Abuse.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

75 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drugs Addiction which found that Irish teenagers were twice as likely to have sampled heroin as most young Europeans; the additional steps, if any, he will take to protect young people from the heroin menace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2524/00]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The study, to which the Deputy refers, is the European School Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, ESPAD, which was conducted in 1995 under the auspices of the Council of Europe's Pompidou Group. The survey was carried out in 26 European countries and involved approximately 2,000 young people in a cross-section of schools in each country. The Minister has been informed by the Minister for Health and Children that a further ESPAD survey was conducted during 1999 but that its findings are not expected to be made public until later this year.

The 1999 extended annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA, which refers to the 1995 ESPAD survey, illustrates that the lifetime prevalence use of heroin among those surveyed was 2.0% in Denmark, Italy and the United Kingdom as well as in Ireland.

The Minister would like to take this opportunity to assure the Deputy that the issue of drugs misuse has always been high on this Government's agenda. The Government's approach to the problem of drug misuse has been, and remains, a two pronged approach with strong legislation supported by tough law enforcement measures on the one hand and a multi-agency integrated approach targeted at reducing the demand for drugs on the other.

As the Deputy is aware, significant changes in Garda structures have taken place since the beginning of 1995. We now have dedicated Garda units to deal with elements of drug dealing and drug trafficking, money laundering, and the seizure of the proceeds from criminal activity. The Minister is sure that the Deputy will agree that the sterling work done by these units, and by other members of An Garda Síochána in tackling the blight of drug dealing and trafficking, is deserving of the highest praise. Their continuing efforts in tackling the supply of drugs and the organised criminal groups who are behind the trade in illegal drugs have yielded significant results over the past number of years.

The Garda authorities have informed the Minister that from January 1998 to September 1999, drug seizures amounting to a notional street value in excess of £100 million were made. Garda operations, such as Dúchas, Cleanstreet and Mainstreet, to combat on-street drug dealing have also been extremely effective resulting in the seizure of illicit drugs with a notional street value in excess of £12 million and in over 15,700 arrests being made in the period January 1998 to September 1999. The Minister is sure that the Deputy will agree that these figures bear strong testimony to the effectiveness and commitment of the Garda in tackling the supply of drugs.

While the Garda continues to do a commendable job in relation to the trade in illicit drugs, measures to reduce the demand for drugs, as being implemented under the national drugs strategy, are vital to ensuring that young people in particular are made aware of the danger of drugs and are given worthwhile and tangible alternatives to prevent them from falling into a cycle of drug misuse and crime. Both the Minister and his Department contribute fully to the development of the integrated policies which are being implemented under the national drugs strategy by being represented on the structures which have been established to co-ordinate this strategy. He is a member of the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion and officials from the Department are represented on the interdepartmental group on the national drugs strategy and on the national drugs strategy team. Representation on each of the 14 local drugs task forces, which have been established in the areas where the heroin problem is most acute, includes an inspector from An Garda Síochána and the local probation and welfare service officer.

This level of representation ensures that the Minister and the Department play a full role, along with the other agencies involved, in the ongoing development of the national drugs strategy.

In addition to those measures under the national drugs strategy, the Minister has also given a high priority to ensuring that everything possible is done to deter young people at risk from becoming involved in crime. Since coming into office, he has increased the number of Garda youth diversion projects from 12 to 29, at an annual cost of well over £1 million. The Minister is sure that the Deputy will agree that the additional £16 million allocated under the national development plan for the expansion of the Garda youth diversion programme is clear proof of the Government's determination to ensure that the benefits of our national economic success are shared by all sections of the community and impact on the quality of life in all areas.

The overall objective of this programme is to develop a number of projects in both urban and rural areas which will, through a combination of intervention and preventive actions, aim to divert young people from becoming involved in criminal activity and its consequences. The long-term objective is to enable the target group of ten-18 year olds to integrate into the labour force in a systematic manner and to prevent them from becoming unemployable. Each project targets a number of "at risk" young people and seeks to engage them in activities designed to achieve these objectives.