34. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Justice how many minors or people aged under 18 years have been charged with possession of a controlled drug for personal use for each of the year 2017 to 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8324/24]

Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice: As the Deputy is aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended) which includes the recording of information on, and the maintenance of, the PULSE system.

The table below, which was provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of charges created for juvenile offenders where the offence was ‘Possession of Drugs Contrary to section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977', for the years 2017 up to the end of December 2023.

This is operational data taken from PULSE on 16 February 2024 and is liable to change.

It should be noted that these are unique charges rather than unique individuals. A person may be charged multiple times for the same offence during a given year.

This is operational data taken from PULSE on 16 February 2024 and is liable to change.

It should be noted that these are unique charges rather than unique individuals. A person may be charged multiple times for the same offence during a given year.