Paul Murphy urges citizens assembly on drug use, demands €1m
Paul Murphy called for a citizens assembly on drug use and urgent funding to tackle a reported epidemic of crack cocaine, arguing current State allocations are inadequate. He highlighted Budget 2022's €500,000 total for crack interventions, cuts to the Tala Drugs and Alcohol Task Force, and asked for an additional €1 million for that task force.
Call for citizens assembly and broader response
Paul Murphy said the programme for government includes a commitment to convene a citizens assembly on drug use and urged a broader response. He asked officials to produce a wider programme addressing deprivation as well as drugs, and to create pathways for people's progression in areas of disadvantage.
Funding shortfalls and specific request
He highlighted that Budget 2022 allocated only €500,000 across the State to address crack cocaine usage and said funding for the Tala Drugs and Alcohol Task Force remains €100,000 a year lower than it was ten years ago. He noted that mainstream and interim funding had not recovered from over 20% cuts between 2009 and 2013 and called for at least an additional €1 million for the Tala task force.
Government funding and current allocations
He acknowledged that about €6 million has been allocated this year under the national drugs and alcohol strategy, with a further €1 million to follow. He said officials would look to see if more could be done and noted that €1.2 million had been allocated to the CHO4 area.
Constitutional remarks and reconciliation
Paul Murphy said he believes citizen assemblies are useful but also expressed views on constitutional approaches, referencing Article 41 and the future of the island. He recalled involvement in government before and through the Good Friday Agreement, warned against polarising slogans, and urged that lessons from that agreement continue to inform efforts to build shared understandings and relationships.
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The programme for government includes a commitment to convene a citizens assembly on drug use and I am sure that the Taoiseach did see some of the harrowing coverage yesterday of what has been described as an epidemic of crack cocaine usage in Taoiseach. People's lives and communities are being destroyed, and yet the total allocated to address crack cocaine usage in Budget 2022 across the entire State was €500,000. The funding of the Tala Drugs and Alcohol Task Force remains €100,000 a year lower than it was 10 years ago. The funding still has not recovered from the over 20 per cent cuts in mainstream and interim funding between 2009 and 2013. The people involved in the drugs projects are doing incredible work in extremely difficult circumstances, but they are being let down by the State. They do not need words of sympathy or claps on the back. What they need is actual support in terms of resourcing. At the very minimum, what is needed for the Tala Drugs and Alcohol Task Force is an additional €1 million of funding. Will you agree to commit to that funding and commit to properly fund the task forces around the country? Thank you, Deputy Chief. We do need a citizens assembly on drugs. As I said earlier, I believe we need a broader response. I have asked officials to drop a broader programme in terms of areas of disadvantage around drugs, not just drugs, but deprivation more generally, and creating pathways for people's progression within areas of disadvantage. Funding of about €6 million has been allocated in terms of the national drugs and alcohol strategy this year. There will be a further million. We will look to see if we can do more. I understand that €1.2 million has been allocated to the CHO4 area. The report on crack cocaine usage is very worrying, but the whole drug epidemic is very worrying across the country, and we intend to pursue that. I think Deputy MacDonald raised a similar issue in terms of that issue. I think that in respect of the constitutional issues, I happen to believe that citizen assemblies are useful, but I think that in terms of the broader issue, first of all, I think that we need an Iraqis approach to the Article 41, which I accept in terms of the future of the island and unity in that. I was there before Good Friday in government, right through Good Friday. I know what it takes to build up relationships, to work with people. I don't need lectures on that. I don't need to be put into a corner via slogans that suits one political party to do that. That's not the way to go on this issue. I regret it that that's the tone that has entered into the debate, trying to sort of pin people in a corner and say, oh, this person's opposed this and this person's against that. I've been for reconciliation of all the people and traditions in this island all my political life. I intend to pursue that, but I have my view as to what the best mechanisms to develop shared understandings and relationships are. I think we should continue with that. I think the Good Friday Agreement was one of the great achievements of a government that I was in, along with other parties. I think the lessons as to how we got there are still applicable today and should not be dismissed too easily.
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