I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding the establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly on drug use. On Tuesday, 21 February 2023, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use: Motion (Resumed)
The following motion was moved by Deputy Hildegarde Naughton on Tuesday, 21 February 2023:
That Dáil Éireann:
approves the establishment of a Citizens' Assembly, to be known as the "Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use", to consider the legislative, policy and operational changes the State could make to significantly reduce the harmful impacts of illicit drugs on individuals, families, communities and wider society, and to bring forward recommendations in this regard; the Assembly shall consider, inter alia:
— the drivers, prevalence, attitudes and trends in relation to drugs use in Irish society;
— the harmful impacts of drugs use on individuals, families, communities and wider society;
— best practice in promoting and supporting rehabilitation and recovery from drug addiction;
— the lived experience of young people and adults affected by drugs use, as well as their families and communities;
— international, European Union, national and local perspectives on drugs use;
— the efficacy of current strategic, policy and operational responses to drugs use;
— international best practice and practical case studies in relation to reducing supply, demand and harm, and increasing resilience, health and well-being; and
— the opportunities and challenges, in an Irish context, of reforming legislation, strategy, policy and operational responses to drugs use, taking into consideration the implications for the health, criminal justice and education systems; and
notes that the Citizens' Assembly shall:
— consist of 100 members in total, including 99 randomly-selected members of the general public, and an independent Chairperson to be nominated by the Taoiseach; — preclude from membership any individual who is either:
i. under 18 years of age;
ii. not normally resident in the State;
iii. a politician currently serving in either House of the Oireachtas, in local government or in the European Parliament;
iv. a lobbyist as provided for under the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015; or
v. a person unwilling to adhere to public health measures as prescribed by Government and public health authorities from time to time;
— hold its inaugural meeting in April 2023 and conclude its work and submit a report to the Oireachtas by the end of 2023;
— have flexibility to determine a revised timeline for completion of its work in the event of extraordinary circumstances delaying or disrupting its work;
— submit a report and recommendation(s) on the matters before it to the Houses of the Oireachtas. On receipt, the Houses of the Oireachtas shall refer the report to a Committee of both Houses for consideration; this Committee will, in turn, bring its conclusions to the Houses of the Oireachtas for debate. Furthermore, the Government shall, on consideration of the report from the Citizens' Assembly, provide in the Houses of the Oireachtas a response to each recommendation of the Assembly, setting out a timeframe for implementing those recommendations which it accepts;
— have a Secretary and secretariat staff assigned to support the effective governance and operation of Assembly meetings, to support the Chairperson and members in their roles, and to support the drafting of the final report;
— agree its own rules of procedure and work programme to enable the effective conduct of its business in as economical and efficient a manner as possible;
— operate in an open and transparent manner, including by live streaming public proceedings;
— determine all issues by a majority of the votes of members present and voting, other than the Chairperson, who will have a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes;
— develop innovative programming to feature individuals and communities directly affected by drugs-related issues, and those working in front-line service delivery;
— engage subject matter experts to inform its deliberations, including as invited speakers or as members of an Expert Advisory Group;
— engage with stakeholders and the general public, including through a public consultation process, and by inviting select speakers to participate in meetings of the Assembly;
— make payment of an honorarium to the Chairperson at a per diem rate to be sanctioned by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform; and
— make payment to the members of the Citizens' Assembly and members of the Expert Advisory Group of a nominal honorarium to recognise their civic service.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
A.
To delete the following words "best practice in promoting and supporting rehabilitation and recovery from drug addiction;" and substitute the following:
"— best practice in promoting and supporting people on rehabilitation and recovery journeys from drug addiction;"
B.
To insert the following after "the efficacy of current strategic, policy and operational responses to drugs use;":
"— the past, current and future role of Drug and Alcohol Task Forces and how this facilitates localised, community responses to addiction;".
- (Deputy Thomas Gould)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 57; Níl, 74; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Níl
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.
Amendment declared lost.
We must now consider amendment No. 2 from the Social Democrats.
I move amendment No. 2:
To delete all words from "policy and operational changes the State could make to significantly" down to and including “increasing resilience, health and well-being; and;” and substitute the following:
"improve its response to drugs use and abuse, and the outcomes in relation to drugs use and abuse, to reduce the harmful impacts of drugs and the criminalisation of drugs on individuals, families, communities and wider society, and to bring forward recommendations in this regard; the Assembly shall consider, inter alia:
— the drivers, prevalence, attitudes and trends in relation to drugs use in Irish society;
— the impacts of drugs use on individuals, families, communities and wider society;
— the impacts of criminalisation of drugs use and possession, and convictions for drugs use and possession, on individuals, families, communities and wider society;
— the potential for, and prevalence of, safe, social, recreational drugs use by individuals;
— best practice in promoting and supporting rehabilitation and recovery from drug addiction;
— the potential benefits of promoting a harm-reduction approach to drugs policy, including through the provision of certain supports including, inter alia, safe-injection and safe-consumption facilities, and medication-assisted treatments for drug addiction;
— the opportunities to improve the number and diversity of wraparound supports available to individuals who use drugs including, inter alia, detox and aftercare facilities, and other supports which can assist individuals in their recovery from drug addiction;
— the lived experience of young people and adults affected by drugs use, as well as their families and communities;
— the perspectives of the general public, representative groups, advocacy groups, experts and policy makers on drugs use and its impacts;
— international, European Union, national and local research and perspectives on drugs use;
— the efficacy of current strategic, policy and operational responses to drugs use;
— international best practice and practical case studies in relation to regulation of supply of drugs, and the impact of relevant legislative, policy and operational responses;
— international best practice and practical case studies in relation to increasing resilience, health and well-being in relation to drugs use;
— the opportunities to promote greater public understanding of, and support for, a health-led approach to drugs use; and".
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 56; Níl, 75; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Nash, Ged.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Níl
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Nolan, Carol.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Holly Cairns and Joan Collins; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.
Amendment declared lost.
Motion put and agreed to.