Departmental Strategies
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-05
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Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny

Again, I thank the Senator. As I have said, I have shared the draft national drugs strategy with the joint committee. I will also take the report into account before finalising the strategy because it is important. This is about everybody working together. The draft strategy has also been published on the Department of Health website. As I mentioned earlier, I have now decided to carry out a public consultation because that is important. That public consultation will start soon. I will inform everyone about that. I ask that anyone who wants to have a say - maybe he or she feels there is something we could change or has an idea as to how we change it - should have his or her say. The strategy will go to public consultation for six weeks. It should start in February. I will have the dates shortly.
The one thing I have learned is that there is not a family in Ireland that has not been affected by drugs, whether it is a family member, a neighbour, a cousin or someone else. We are now in a society where things have to change and we have to be there. We have to move and do what we can to get services as quickly as we can to those who need them. I think the new drugs strategy will play a huge role in that. Then, working with the Department and the HSE, again, as the Senator said, it is a matter of working around the whole country on where the services are needed and to make sure that those who need them get them. I thank the Senator for this Commencement matter.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:35+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-05