Results 701-720 of 1,047,584 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Thomas Pringle)
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: That is an observation. I do not know if the witnesses want to comment on that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: That is perfectly legal.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: That is a good point.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: I have some questions. A question was asked about the make up of the drugs task force and the pillars that make up drug rehabilitation, education, health, justice, social protection, and child and family. We all accept it has been a fault line or a weakness in the system that those key players or people of influence are not around the table. If members agree, this is certainly one of the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: The past ten years. Not only that, people working in the front-line services have had no increase. Again, that is something that has recently been addressed. Another example would be community healthcare organisation, CHO, 7 where there are ten residential beds. They have run out of funding for that since September. What do they do for the next six months? Again, the balance is that has...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: Does Mr. Doherty get any sense of why it is the poor relation with regard to the drugs budget? He told the story about contact being at a low ebb and about simple things like meetings with the Minister that are not structured enough. It just does not seem to be that people get that there is a challenge out there.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: Mr. Doherty said that drugs are no longer sexy. I would argue that we have been in denial for decades regarding the challenge of drugs. Many of us thought that with the emergence of crack cocaine in communities, women being turned into prostitutes, people going into houses without a stick of furniture and children going hungry it would be a wake-up call. It is probably only certain...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: In the task force meetings, a disproportionate amount of time is spent every meeting on funding. It is funding, funding, funding. We should be strategising and talking about the issues, not this idea of funding. There will be common agreement on the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, money. I read a report that stated the Garda recovered something like €20 million in cash alone. Why is...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: I do not think I have time. We are supposed to be finished by 11 o'clock. Can we perhaps focus on discussing with the Minister of State what has been raised this morning? We really appreciate the witnesses coming in. It was really useful. I apologise if anyone else was trying to get in. I thank the representatives from the local drugs and alcohol task force chairpersons' network for...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: We can do that, yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: Okay. The meeting is now suspended. We will resume very shortly with the Minister of State.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: The committee will now resume its consideration of issues facing local drug and alcohol task forces. I have received an apology from Senator Frances Black who has had to leave to introduce a Bill in the Seanad. I am pleased to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, who has responsibility for public health, well-being and the national drugs strategy. He is accompanied, from the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: Deputy, can we-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: I know you did not because no one has spoken. Can we finish up?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: Okay. Thank you. I am just conscious if we want to let everyone in, people will have to stick to the ten minutes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: I always find strange the juxtaposition between drugs and alcohol. Alcohol is a perfectly legal substance to buy, while drugs are completely illegal. I find that parallel a bit of a contradiction in terms of our policy.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: I have to bring an end to the Deputy’s questions. I will let the witnesses respond to one point, but I need to move on.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Seán Crowe: I call Deputy Hourigan.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: I want to drill down into the figures around the problematic use of drugs and those who are seeking treatment, although I am not sure the Department can give a breakdown of this. The figures are startling and they have increased by nearly 50% since 2017. Can the Department give a breakdown of the substances that people are seeking treatment for, in particular with regard to problematic...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces: Discussion (6 Nov 2024)
Gino Kenny: There is a definite trend since 2017 in the context of those presenting with an addiction to cocaine and the decline in heroin use.