Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 1 Jun 2000

Vol. 520 No. 3

Written Answers. - Drug Abuse.

Ruairí Quinn

Ceist:

52 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to make a statement on the progress being made by the Garda in combating the heroin menace in Dublin and the investigation that has been held into a number of recent deaths which may have been linked to contaminated heroin. [15443/00]

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

The Garda Commissioner and I are totally committed to tackling the problem of drug abuse, including heroin abuse. As recent events have shown, the most serious problems associate with drug abuse in this country are caused by heroin.

In this context, the Government's policy of tough legislation, backed up by strong law enforcement measures, in tandem with a multi-agency partnership approach to dealing with the problems of drugs, crime and social disadvantage will, I believe, ultimately prove successful.

Strong legislation, such as the Criminal Justice, Act, 1999, has been put in place which provides for a minimum mandatory ten year sentence for persons convicted of dealing in drugs with a value of £10,000 or more. Other important legislation, which I introduced while in Opposition, is the Proceeds of Crime Act, 1996, which has been utilised very effectively by the Criminal Assets Bureau in order to successfully confiscate the ill-gotten gains of drug traffickers.

The Garda authorities are successfully targeting the problem of drug dealing at both a national and local level. Between January 1998 and December 1999, drug seizures amounting to a notional street value in excess of £120 million were made. In the same period, Garda operations, such as Dóchas, 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 £20 million and in over 20,000 arrests being made.

Of course, I have always operated on the basis that there is a co-relation between crime and social depravation and that the drugs problem cannot be solved by law enforcement measures alone and I have endeavoured to ensure that my Department and An Garda Síochána are among the main contributors to the development of multi-agency integrated policies to deal with the drugs problem at a national and local level. I am a member of the Cabinet committee on social inclusion which gives political leadership to these policies and both my Department and An Garda Síochána have enthusiastically supported and been actively involved along with other statutory agencies and the community and voluntary sector, in the national drugs strategy team and the local drugs task forces which have contributed so much at local level.

In relation to the Deputy's question regarding the recent tragic deaths, I am informed by my colleague the Minister for Health and Children that a European wide alert was issued in relation to admissions to hospitals in Glasgow of injecting drug users, on 19 May last. This alert came to the Eastern Regional Health Authority through the National Disease Surveillance Centre in Dublin.

The Eastern Regional Health Authority is investigating a number of deaths and severe illnesses among drug abusers and is working closely with the authorities in Glasgow and the National Disease Surveillance Centre.

The Garda have informed me that they are also investigating a number of deaths associated with drug misuse. The gardaí are working in consultation with the Eastern Region Health Authority and a working group has been set up, comprising members of the gardaí, health officials, medical practitioners and State pathologists to assist in the investigation.

The Garda investigation, which is ongoing, has been extensive and toxicology analyses have been undertaken.

The gardaí are working in close liaison with both the Eastern Region Health Authority and health and law enforcement authorities in Glasgow on this matter.