Mary Fitzpatrick
Industrial and Commercial Panel · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“It would help inform policy, not just in the drugs space but in all areas of mental health, physical health and our social well-being. I draw the House's attention to the publication this morning of the Government's latest progress report on housing - Delivering Homes, Building Communities.”
“This morning's news coverage is dominated by calls from medical professionals for a ban on e-scooters. This follows calls for bans on social media. The Government has moved to ban vapes. We are actively engaged as a country in banning a lot of things at the moment and there is very good reasoning behind a lot of these proposals.”
“That is just in the first quarter and it is up 33%. More than 46,000 new homes have commenced. There is a lot of activity in terms of supply. Affordability is a huge issue for a lot of people but, in the last year, more than 20,000 first-time home purchasers acquired their own home.”
“I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for her forbearance and patience with us. I thank Martin and all of the staff of the Seanad Office on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group. It is a tremendous personal honour and privilege for me to serve with all of the Senators.”
“We all understand the value of our local democracy and the incredible role our elected representatives undertake to represent and champion their communities and ensure they are properly served. The Minister came into the House and gave a response which, unfortunately, there was not a hard copy of to share with Senators.”
“Population growth and changing demographics mean that electoral areas must be reviewed and it is really important to ensure that there is fair and adequate representation. Every citizen's voice should carry equal weight, regardless of where he or she lives, so the boundary review is really important.”
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“I hope the Minister of State can update the Seanad on the progress that has been made to complete phase one, the conservation works and the protections, and most importantly on phase 2. I hope he can stand up and give us an indication of when works will commence and when we are likely to see a commemorative museum open.”
“Various entities have stabilised, protected and conserved the buildings and carried out archaeological work on them. They found more than 4,000 artefacts on the site, according to the Department's website. I know from being down there in the shells of the buildings, even as they are, that the history that will come to life when we have a 1916 commemorative centre is going to be incredible. It is going to be world class. I absolutely believe that because the concept that is being proposed by the State and the Department is one which is of an incredibly high value. It is one that will absolutely articulate the values of our State and of those who fought for our independence and freedom.”
“It has now reached the point where, apart from Paddy Buckley, Stephen Troy and the few women traders who are left, the street has more or less died. Most of the street is actually in private ownership. The State designated 14-17 Moore Street as a national monument back in 2007. In 2015, after all of our campaigning, the State acquired 14-17 Moore Street from the private owners, which was a great step forward. It did so with the very clear intention to turn it into a 1916 commemorative museum. Since that time, Dublin City Council, the OPW, the Department of heritage and many others have been involved in, first of all, stabilising the buildings. They are fragile, 18th century, mid-terrace, three-storey residential units above shops.”
“Pádraig Pearse made that decision with his comrades in the rooms upstairs on Moore Street. The Minister of State has been there and I thank him because very early in his ministry, he took an interest and came down to inspect the buildings there. I want to acknowledge and congratulate those who have worked on those buildings. Conservation and archaeological work is painstaking. To us on the outside, it seems to progress at a glacial pace and we find that frustrating. I grew up in that part of the city and, for me, Moore Street was always a very vibrant street. In fact, it was probably the most vibrant trading street in the city and so it genuinely breaks my heart to have witnessed the deterioration of commerce on the street over the last 20 years.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Seanad today to respond to my Commencement Matter on the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. The Minister of State may not be aware of this but I am growing very, very old in this job. I spent all of the previous Oireachtas asking his predecessors for updates on the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street and, before I spent those years in here doing that, I spent many years, or rather decades, pursuing local authorities, governments and the State generally to protect, restore and create at that national monument site a 1916 commemorative museum. The buildings at 14-17 Moore Street are the final meeting places of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. It was in No. 16 Moore Street that the decision was taken to make an unconditional surrender.”
“When Fianna Fáil was in opposition, the Taoiseach first suggested to me the establishment of a north inner city authority. As Taoiseach, he has made that a reality through the Dublin city task force. I thank him for that. Already, people in Dublin are seeing increased Garda numbers, increased street cleaning and an increased provision of housing. There is a vibrancy and diversity in our capital that I believe we will all showcase - not just Dublin but the country - when the Taoiseach leads us in the EU Presidency.”
“I thank the Taoiseach for coming here today and sharing his thoughts with us. I also thank him for the work he is doing and the leadership he is providing, not just in this House or in this country, but right around the world. We are very proud of his leadership and the way he expresses Ireland's values in terms of equality, freedom and democracy. We would all be greatly appreciative if he could keep that up. The Taoiseach appointed me as spokesperson for local government, Dublin and heritage. The local democracy task force is a great initiative. It is one that delivers enhancements in terms of a rebalancing of power between the executive and the elected functions and adequate resourcing of elected representatives. As the Taoiseach is aware, all democracy is local. The foundations of our democracy are in local government.”
“What I am suggesting and what our amendment is attempting to achieve is that in the instance - just in this instance and not in the generality - where a retailer has cause to enquire of an individual if they have paid for a purchase or goods, that would, in that unique and narrowly defined instance, not be cause for an action of defamation. I have made my point. I thank the Minister for considering it. I will withdraw the amendment today if it goes to a vote when we reach it. I hope we can engage further over the coming time and find a resolution here. I believe the Minister's intention is to put forward the most robust and beneficial legislation in this space and I thank him for his consideration.”
“Therefore, it is difficult to rely on the insurance company to take the hit or to take on the cost. I appreciate there are examples and I appreciate the Minister having shared them with me. That is one dynamic which I appreciate the Minister considering. There is a second one. The Minister quite rightly points out to me that for us to seek to create a blanket immunity for any sector of our population would be unprecedented. He challenged me to find a precedent. I stand here unable to point to it but what I can point to is a nuance, and I ask the Minister to consider this. As politicians, we do not have immunity. If I go out and I do or say something outside of this House, I do not have immunity. However, if I say something in this House, I have a privilege.”
“They do not have the benefit of a legal department. They engage professional support and services when they need them. They engage security in their shops. They engage solicitors when needed. They obviously pay for insurance, but when a claim is made against them, it is the insurer that makes the decision. I do not see how it is in the insurance companies' interest most of the time to defend the claim. I am not an insurance expert. I do not have the insight into the forensic economics of the insurance industry. However, from my layman's knowledge, I cannot see how the insurance company is incentivised to incur costs to defend what are relatively small cases when they can settle the case without having to incur the costs of defending it and they can ultimately raise the premiums for their customers.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply and his consideration of the amendments before him. I really appreciate the thought he is giving to the real-life experience of the potential application of these laws in the retail space. I hear him and I agree with him when he says that spurious allegations should be challenged. They should be robustly challenged and good name should be defended. Unfortunately, there is a dynamic in this retail space, particularly for small retailers. They are independent. They are by definition small and they are working on their own. Many of them are family-owned businesses, sole traders and perhaps second or third generation operators of a shop. It can be a small or medium enterprise but they are operating independently on their own. Those type of people do not have the benefit of a HR department, quite typically.”
“We should send a strong signal that our justice system is there to act reasonably and to defend them in the operation of their business and the provision of their service in our communities. I ask the Minister to consider the amendment.”
“It seeks to remove a cause of action for the actions that are outlined in section 8 so that there is no doubt but that a court will not entertain a case of such a nature provided it fits within the criteria set out in section 8(1)(b). It would send a really clear signal to prospective claimants against pursuing such cases and remove the real exposure to costs that retailers face in invoking a defence, as currently outlined. I appreciate that people do have recourse as it stands. Under the law as it stands they have recourse and can defend themselves. The law allows them to do that but the cost of exercising that right to a defence is increasingly beyond too many of them.”
“These are individuals, many of them second and third generation shop owners and operators, who were born into their communities and have traded in and served those communities for generations. They want to continue to do that but they are increasingly being squeezed out. This is not just because of crime and defamation. I appreciate that there are many other factors at play and the Minister alone cannot solve those but this is a real cost to them that is undermining their viability. The legal costs to them can be in the tens of thousands of euro. For many of them this is an additional burden that hinders them and creates barriers to them continuing to viably trade. I urge the Minister to consider my amendment.”
“There are people out there - not a lot, thankfully, but there are some - who engage in this as more or less a full-time occupation. When challenged, they turn it on the shop owners, who are then accused of defaming those individuals. Taking the case to court costs retailers in time, energy and stress. They must engage with professionals and take time out of their workplace and away from their employees and customers. There is a financial cost to all of that, as the Minister knows, and it is having a real impact on retailers' ability to survive. It is undermining the viability of their businesses. I was nominated by RGDATA which represents over 3,000, largely independent, indigenous Irish retailers. These are not big, anonymous corporate organisations with big resources who can rely on those significant resources to defend their case.”
“Retail crime is real and it is pervasive, not just in urban areas, as Senator McDowell noted, but throughout the country. Under law, we are all entitled to defend ourselves, our property, our income and our right to trade. People have all those rights under law. My amendment No. 9 seeks to help retailers to achieve that defence without having to incur additional costs. Shop owners often have to challenge individuals on their premises engaging with their staff and attempting to steal their products, actually stealing or pretending to steal. There are people who get up every morning with the sole purpose in life to do this. They are organised to do it; such activity is not a casual, opportunistic or once-off event.”
“These are people who have dedicated their lives to providing a service in my community. They invest in purchasing, leasing or renting properties, purchasing stock, hiring staff, attending to the welfare of those staff, creating quality employment and providing a really good service to their customers. They do their best every single day, often seven days a week. For them, it is a lifestyle choice. This is the purpose to which they choose to dedicate their lives. We are lucky to have them and we all appreciate them. Increasingly, however, small retailers are challenged in delivering for their customers. Along with energy costs, employment costs and many others, one of the biggest costs is the threat to their livelihood and the service they provide from crime.”
“There will be money for additional staff for prisons, for the Probation Service and for extra prison spaces. All of this funding, which is accompanied by increased funding for the Legal Aid Board and Free Legal Advice Centres, is really welcome. It shows the commitment of the Minister and the Government to ensuring we have a fully functioning justice system that serves our citizens fairly and without prejudice. In turning to the Bill before us, I go from that high-level consideration of billions of euro for State infrastructure and services to thinking about how State legislation affects some of our very important but very humble citizens. I refer to local retailers, particularly in my community. I think of Yasser in the local Spar, Omar in Centra and Mary in Phibsborough.”
“I thank the Minister for his engagement with us on the Bill. Before I speak to my amendment, I acknowledge the securing by him and his Department of more than €6 billion in the budget this week. That significant amount of public funds will go towards ensuring our State is safer and that justice is served for all our citizens. Well done. It is a big achievement and it should be acknowledged. The Minister has made a firm commitment to increase Garda numbers and this funding will provide for up to 1,500 extra gardaí. It will also allow for more Garda stations and vehicles, infrastructure to address cybersecurity and make provision for immigration services. There is an allocation of €18 million for services for those experiencing domestic violence.”
“I encourage every Member of the House to familiarise themselves with the programme and take full advantage of it before next weekend because it is a great festival. We are steeped in history and heritage in the capital. Dublin City Council does a very fine job in promoting it with this festival. I want to encourage all Members to support it.”
“There will be statements in the House later on the budget. Budget day is not what it used to be. It used to be a big reveal. I hope this House will engage in a meaningful debate on the initiatives that have been taken in this budget to try to ensure there is real investment in lasting, sustainable public infrastructure in order that we can ensure our economic and social sustainability into the future. We are in Dublin city and, for the month that is in it, I remind the House that Dublin City Council is again running a fantastic festival of history in the capital. Dublin City Council and Dublin City Libraries run the festival. They put on a fantastic programme of free events suitable for all age groups and all interests in our libraries, public buildings and public spaces.”
“Today marks the second anniversary of the horrendous and brutal attack by Hamas on the innocent attendees at the Nova music festival. It resulted in more than 1,200 people losing their lives and more than 250 people being taken hostage. Since then, more than 66,000 or 67,000 Palestinians have been murdered. The genocide, the famine and the horrendous war that have ensued defy words and defy description. On the anniversary, I want us to think of all those who have been hurt, all those who have lost loved ones and all those who continue to suffer and endure inhumane treatment and conditions and call for a meaningful, lasting ceasefire, a release of all the hostages, an unfettered and unrestricted release of humanitarian aid into Palestine and to the people of Palestine, and a permanent solution for two states to live side by side.”
“Our influence is most effective when we influence our European and international partners. We must keep going. We must take courage and resolve from the courage of the people in Gaza. More than two million people, most of them very young, women and children and men are being pummelled in every way. I thank the Minister of State for her time and I thank her for accepting our motion.”
“I encourage the Minister of State to go back to the Government and ensure that it continues to use every resource available to the State to champion a solution, a ceasefire, a release of the hostages and provision of humanitarian aid. Do not be distracted by the cheap politics of others. Do not be distracted by others who will criticise, undermine and seek to besmirch or devalue the Government's efforts. The Minister of State does not have a magic wand but she does have the authority to act on behalf of the people of Ireland. As the Government has been doing, I urge it to continue to do that. While we are a small island and while we are a small nation and our actions are wholly inadequate and cannot bring an end to the horror in Gaza, we do have influence and it is working.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here for this important debate. An ounce of action is worth a tonne of talk and no amount of talking, emotion or wishing things to be otherwise is going to change anything in Gaza. The horrors defy description. They defy our words. It truly is a failure of humanity in its rawest form. To think about it is to think of a post-apocalyptic environment. We all share the disgust and horror. I, of course, commend the Government, the Opposition and everybody in our country who has used their time, energy and resources to try to champion a solution. It is soul destroying to see the continued action in Gaza to destroy human life in every sense. It is truly unbearable to think about. I thank the other Seanadóirí for supporting this motion and the Government for accepting it.”
“The Cathaoirleach took a great initiative in a previous Seanad to copper-fasten the protocols around our flag. The Tricolour hangs directly behind the Cathaoirleach's desk. It hangs there in a position of respect. The Tricolour is a symbol of unity on this island. I commend the Cathaoirleach on the initiative he took, which was unanimously supported by this House, to put formal protocols in place around not just the flying of the Tricolour but also the treatment of the flag. It is totally unacceptable the way the Tricolour is being disrespected in our capital city. I renew my call to Dublin City Council to take action to protect the Tricolour, a symbol of unity, in our capital and prevent it from being used as a symbol of division.”
“That said, we really have to urge world leaders to really commit to peace and to taking direct action to end war. During the summer months, people up and down the country have been talking about energy prices. Bord Gáis, SSE, Energia, Pinergy and Flogas have all announced price increases. Households and businesses are being affected by it. The costs of food, transport and employment are being impacted. Everything is being impacted by this energy crisis. It is a crisis of affordability for people. At the same time, the ESB made over €700 million in profits after tax. We need the Minister to come in and to have a debate on this issue before the budget. It is a really serious issue that is having a real and direct impact on people's lives.”
“Speaking on behalf of Ireland, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, reiterated our calls for an immediate ceasefire, a release of hostages, unfettered access for humanitarian aid, a recognition of the Palestinian state and a commitment to a two-state solution. It feels like a very slow process, but I think at this point 159 of the 193 countries and states in the UN have recognised the State of Palestine. When the French President, Emmanuel Macron, spoke about Gaza and recognising the genocide and humanitarian crisis taking place there, he said the time for peace has come. I do not want to contradict him, but the time for peace was a very long time ago. We are at a point of no return now. As a House, we have been very strong on this issue and I know we will have a debate on it later this week.”
“I would like to join the Cathaoirleach and the Leader in congratulating Martin Hughes on his new appointment and welcoming him to the Seanad. We look forward to working with and supporting him as he supports us to do our job and serve the country. I also want to congratulate and thank Martin Groves and Bridget. They were exemplary public servants and we were blessed with their talents, energy and expertise. They guided us exceptionally well. The 80th General Assembly of the UN is taking place this week in New York. Top of the agenda at that assembly are global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and the genocide, humanitarian crisis and war in Gaza.”
“I encourage everybody to support the Gate Theatre and see the play. It is an exceptional production. I wish it well with the run.”
“The Minister was constrained and compelled by legislation to bring forward a memorandum but he does not need to seek approval for a resolution and he has indicated this is his intention. I welcome that. It is a very welcome reprieve for small businesses throughout the country. I congratulate the team at the Gate Theatre at the top of O'Connell Street. It is part of the Rotunda complex. Last night, it had its opening night of the Martin McDonagh play The Pillowman . The play is an exceptional production with exceptional acting. It is a unique piece of theatre to be staged in Dublin. It is not for the faint-hearted. The acting is superb. It is incredibly witty and delivered with great emotion. Very weirdly, it examines the deepest and darkest elements of the human condition.”
“On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I join in the welcome to our distinguished guests. We stand in solidarity with the victims and families of the genocide in Srebrenica and we renew our call for an end to the genocide in Gaza. On domestic matters, I welcome the announcement by the Minister for justice of his intention to bring a memorandum to Cabinet next week, on 15 July, regarding the personal injuries guidelines. I am sure his communication yesterday will be welcomed and not only by other Members of the House. I commend Senator Nelson Murray. Senators have worked very hard to support small businesses and enterprises throughout the country and address this issue.”
“In going forward, the local democracy task force is incredibly important for elected representatives, and not just in this area, as there are other issues that need to be addressed for councillors and other elected representatives in terms of the fine balancing of powers between councils' executive and elected functions. There is a real opportunity for the Government, with the local democracy task force, to work with elected representatives to deliver stronger local government in each of the 31 local authorities. I thank the Minister of State for his time today. I will engage with the local democracy task force.”
“I appreciate the Minister of State's response and that this matter falls to the Minister for local government. I will take up the issue with the local democracy task force. I am the Fianna Fáil spokesperson for local government and I look forward to engaging with the task force. One point that is very clear from the Minister of State's reply is that no action will be taken by the Department of Finance on the introduction of new revenue-raising powers for local authorities before the local democracy task force reports, which will not be until 2026. That is a very important piece of information for councillors to take into account.”
“I hope the Minister of State can advise the House on the work his Department has done to examine their proposal, his intentions and his Department's intentions to give powers to the local authorities to have revenue-raising within their own jurisdiction, how that might potentially work and the timescale for same.”
“There are incredible works being done in the city in terms of culture - everything from the people down in The Complex in Smithfield, Stoneybatter Festival, Phizzfest, The Five Lamps Arts Festival, the Gate Theatre, and even Style in the City, which is being promoted over the weekends and whereby, on Henry Street and Grafton Street on alternating Saturdays, we will have catwalks, fashion shows and all sorts of style. The city council, DublinTown and many others are doing great work but the Dublin city councillors themselves feel that they need the power to introduce a visitor tax that they can use to further enhance the city experience.”
“I also acknowledge the announcement last week of the adjustment to the local property tax, which will result in an additional €19 million in funding for Dublin City Council in 2026. That is really welcome. However, if the Minister of State comes with me and walks along the streets of Dublin, he will conclude, as I have done, that the place is filthy most of the time. It is unacceptably dirty. I appreciate that Dublin City Council has a challenge. It is a really busy city with heavy footfall, but we need a cleaner city. We need the public spaces to feel safe and clean. We also need investment in our culture, heritage and entertainment.”
“The Dublin City Council proposal is for the Government to give powers to the local authority to, at the latter's discretion, introduce a local visitor tax. The idea from Dublin City Council is that it would have the power to raise its own revenues and would use those additional revenues to address issues in the capital, such as street cleaning, public space maintenance, the public domain, enhancements in infrastructure, and investment in culture, heritage and entertainment in the city. I acknowledge when raising this issue that there are significant and record levels of funding being transferred from central government to local government. It is over €750 million this year alone.”
“I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House this morning. My Commencement matter this morning calls for the Minister for Finance to make a statement on the proposal from Dublin City Council for the introduction of a tourist bed tax and for the Minister to make a statement on his Department's proposals to legislate to give local authorities revenue-raising powers. The Minister of State will be aware that the introduction of a bed tax, accommodation tax or tourism tax - there are many ways it is referred to - is an idea that has been spoken about for many years but the concept of a visitor tax in the capital is one that Dublin City Council has been progressing. It is the norm in many other large international cities. Amsterdam has one, as do many other European cities.”
“The Government has to ensure post offices continue into the future, that they are sustained and that their network remains trusted and available to future generations. I wish the Minister well with his work but I want to stress the urgency of this. Postmasters are employers. They have responsibilities to their employees. They live with this responsibility 24-7. They need to know how they will be able to plan for the next three years. They need to be able to inform their staff, employees and communities how it will work. I wish the Minister well. He has our support but I cannot overemphasise the importance of delivering on this important issue for all of our communities.”
“We ask him, on behalf of the postmasters and, more importantly and with no disrespect to the postmasters, on behalf of their customers and our communities, to go back to the Government and the Ministers for Finance and public expenditure and re-emphasise to them and remind them of why the Government made the commitment. We must remind them the €30 million was well spent and that post offices have evolved and extended their services, while all the time retaining the human element and the social value they bring to our communities. An Post is a resilient, innovative organisation, one that creates local employment and serves communities locally. It connects the local with the global. It is unique and has been a constant presence in our society since the 1700s.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I welcome and thank the Irish Postmasters' Union and the postmasters. Some postmasters are in the House this evening but many more are in their post offices. They are in more than 850 communities throughout the country. I know they are very important in Donegal and they are just as important in Dublin. The post office is the trusted face of the State in our communities. I acknowledge and very much welcome the Minister of State reaffirming the Government's commitment today to supporting a sustainable future for our post office network. It is essential. The postmasters have acknowledged how important State intervention and Government support was to ensure the post office network survived over the past three years.”
“The Minister has heard contributions from others. We will have Committee Stage. I look forward to engaging with the Minister and his officials over the coming weeks to bring the Bill forward because there are an awful lot of very positive innovations in it. I commend the Minister on his work.”
“This Bill is really important to small retailers because they do not want to spend their time considering legal matters. They are not lawyers or solicitors. They do not want to have to take time out of providing a service to their customers and their community and looking after their employees by engaging in litigation of any manner. However, they are subject to and targets of crime on a regular basis. I know the Minister knows this and I commend him on his engagement with the sector, his establishment and convening of the retail crime forum, and his engagement with it on that. The Minister knows that retail crime is costing €1.6 billion in Ireland and that Ireland has the highest per capita cost of retail crime. It is more than €350 per person. This is an enormous cost. Getting this Bill right is really important.”
“These retailers are there early in the morning and late at night. From getting to know them and understanding their business, I know they are people who get up in the morning and go to bed at night thinking about how they are going to sustain their business. They have made a very significant financial and personal investment and commitment, not just to the bricks and mortar of the premises they operate but to the creation of employment for people in our communities and the provision of a service to their communities, with all that entails. For many of them, their margins are so thin that if they did not own the premises, I do not think they would have the margins to continue trading because they have been very directly impacted by increased costs.”
“I thank the Acting Chair for allowing me some time. I appreciate the Minister is under time pressures. Like the other Senators, I greatly appreciate his attendance in the House. He is affording us strong attention and I hope the contributions from the Senators merit that. Many of the other Senators spoke in detail about the Bill. I will focus my comments on an issue that has been aired by others, that is, the effect of defamation crimes on retail. I could talk at length about the cause of defamation, other citizens and other walks of life but I was nominated by RGDATA to contest the Seanad election. I was very privileged to receive its nomination and I am delighted to represent it here. RGDATA represents the small, indigenous, independent Irish retailer - the SPAR or Centra where we go to buy a bottle of milk, sliced pan or newspaper.”
“I do not know whether any Members got a chance to listen to it. He spoke about how, as a young man, he started using drugs and how it completely took over his life. He spoke about how he started robbing from his own family. The DRIVE programme, therefore, is welcome. It is a great support. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Drugs Use must make strong, implementable recommendations. We must ensure that the next strategy massively reduces harm and increases society’s awareness and ability to respond in a humane and health-led way. It must reduce addiction in our society and increase recovery in order that everyone has an opportunity to live life to its full potential. I wish the Minister of State well in her work and I look forward to working with her.”
“I think it was an increase of more than €40 million to the budget, an 18% increase. I point to the supervised injection centres, the map that shows the more than 450 drug and alcohol services in our communities, the fact that more than 13,000 cases were actually treated, and the information the Minister of State provided about Dublin Simon Community’s facility in Usher’s Quay. They are all real positives and we must take encouragement from them. We cannot lose sight of the fact that this is a real problem that is eating away and destroying the lives of individuals and their families. I commend the Minister of State on the launch of the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, initiative for people struggling with addiction. An articulate man spoke on “Oliver Callan” yesterday morning.”
“It is really encouraging to hear the Minister of State advocate so strongly for a health-led approach because that is the human response. I absolutely refute and reject those political voices who try to equate a health-led approach with being soft on criminal and illegal activities. These activities destroy individuals, families and communities, not just in the capital but all over the country. The statistics for Ireland are shocking. We have the second highest overdose rate in Europe. One in four people in Ireland has used illicit drugs. Approximately 50% of our third level student population have reported using drugs and 70% of our prison population are suffering from addiction. The problem is real. I take encouragement from the fact that the budget has been significantly increased this year.”
“She will now have an opportunity to inform and shape the next strategy. She is ideally positioned to this and we want to support her in doing that. I have been elected Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drug Use. It is a great privilege and honour, and I look forward to serving with the other Senators and TDs on the committee. The committee has a job of work to do over the nine months. We will commence our public hearings in September and we have a job of work to do to take the recommendations from the citizens' assembly and give a reasoned and considered report back to the Government. I look forward to doing that and working on a cross-party basis to ensure that we make recommendations that are implementable.”