Results 401-420 of 1,079,960 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Kathleen Funchion OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Patrick Costello OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Helen McEntee OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Seán Canney OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Seán Sherlock OR speaker:Thomas Pringle OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Violet-Anne Wynne)

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Apologies have been received from Deputy Matt Shanahan and Senators Malachai O'Hara and Mary Seery-Kearney. Parliamentary privilege is considered to apply to the utterances of members participating online in a committee meeting when their participation is from within the parliamentary precincts. There can be no assurances with regard to participation online from outside the parliamentary...

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I thank Ms Brennan and congratulate her on her new role.

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I now invite Mr. Tony Duffin to make his opening statement.

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I thank Mr. Duffin for that statement. We will now move on to the members. Each member has seven minutes to put questions and make a contribution. Our first contributor is Deputy Stanton.

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

David Stanton: I apologise that I will have to leave in a few minutes. There is another meeting on next door dealing with Traveller issues. There are overlaps here as well. People in the Traveller community are also affected by drug use. Professor Michael O'Flaherty, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, is before that committee this morning but I hope to get back. A number of...

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

David Stanton: Okay. It seems to mirror the same kind of approach whereby a person is looked on as an individual. They approach the judge and are given an opportunity to engage in restorative justice or in community service. However, the crucial parts are the psychological and social supports and so forth that are in place behind them as well. Does Ms Brennan think there are enough such supports here?...

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

David Stanton: I have to leave, unfortunately.

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Deputy McAuliffe is next.

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: No problem. I call Deputy Ward.

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I have a number of questions about the drug treatment court. How many times a year does the court sit?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: It sits 48 times a year, therefore. Is that correct?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: How many people tend to come before the court on a given Wednesday?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Does it tend to be the same 20 people every week or does it change?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: It is a very good concept. The first time I saw it was in Philly McMahon's very good documentary, which showed the positive sides of diversion, education and so forth. My understanding is that the programme tries to separate the issues of dependency, sanctioning and the person. What is the interaction between the judge and the person who is there? What happens?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Can the judge issue any sanction against that person at any time?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: I do not mean a criminal sanction. Can the judge say they feel the person is not progressing in the way they should be and that this court may not be suitable for the person?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: What does progress look like? If someone has problematic use of a substance, what does progress look like in getting to the gold standard, the gold medal as such?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: Would the drug treatment court deal with a cohort of people who may not necessarily use cannabis every day but will use it frequently in the course of a week?

Committee on Drugs Use: A Health-Led Approach: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Oct 2024)

Gino Kenny: The citizens' assembly made recommendations on diversion. If somebody uses drugs but their use is not problematic, it is a waste of State resources to tell them they have a problem, even though they may not have a problem. There are lots of people who use drugs but do not have a problem with substance use. We need to have a further debate on drug abuse and drug use. If people want to use...