Deputy Paul Murphy: The Taoiseach previously told me the Government has a health-led approach to tackling drug addiction. There will be a test of whether the Government means that. Deputy Gino Kenny has brought forward a Bill to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis. All personal drug use should be treated as a harm reduction matter and not a criminal one. This Bill is a necessary step, it will begin a conversation and it will provide a stepping stone for a more progressive drugs policy in Ireland. The truth is the war on drugs simply does not work. If the Government is serious about reducing drug addiction, then the answer is to launch emergency interventions to combat poverty and deprivation to tackle the housing crisis and the crises of service provision. Will the Government support our Bill to decriminalise the personal possession of small amounts of cannabis? Can the Taoiseach confirm when the citizens' assembly on drugs will be taking place?

The Taoiseach Michael Martin: Deputy Paul Murphy raised a health-led approach to drug addiction, which I do support. I have not examined Deputy Gino Kenny's Bill in detail, but the relevant Minister will, and the Minister will then come back to the Government in respect of a recommendation on it. The broader point is that from a healthcare perspective, treatment and treating addiction is a core issue for those who are addicted to drugs more generally. We must acknowledge that drugs do cause harm. We cannot resile from that either. We must examine the provisions of the Bill and what they are designed to do. More broadly speaking, we favour a healthcare-led approach. I hope we can get the citizens' assembly on drugs established early in the new year, following completion of the one on biodiversity, which has sought a couple of weeks' extension. The Citizens' Assembly on a Directly Elected Mayor for Dublin is more or less completed. We are in a good position to proceed with the citizens' assemblies on drugs and education early in 2023.