Deputy Mark Ward: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

Before I get on to the Bill, I want to say I am disappointed but not surprised that the Government is going to delay this Bill by nine months. Nitrous oxide is an epidemic and will only get worse in the next nine months. The Minister's amendment tonight is symptomatic of this do-nothing Government. There is no urgency and no action. It is delaying this life-changing legislation simply because it is a Sinn Féin Bill. This is no way to govern. I am sure the Minister's team of staff will find problems in the Bill and no doubt he will refer to them when he speaks, but they will be the same problems when the Minister lets the Bill pass in nine months. The Bill should be referred to the select committee at this stage because that is what the committee is for, namely, to tease out any issues with legislation. The Minister is literally kicking the can down the road. I ask him to withdraw his amendment.

As the Minister is aware, nitrous oxide has legitimate purposes. It is used in the healthcare sector, in the medical sector and in veterinary businesses as well. It is commonly known on the streets as laughing gas, balloons and whippets. When people get their hands on nitrous oxide, especially young people, they inhale it through balloons. It cuts off oxygen to the brain and gives a light-headed giddy effect. That is where the name "laughing gas" came from.

When it first came in, it was in small silver canisters of probably about 8 g of nitrous oxide but this has changed because of a lack of regulation over the years into super-sized canisters of 670 g. There are even bigger ones than that. Nitrous oxide causes major problems when it gets into the hands of young people. The Minister does not have to believe me, as there have been a number of reports in the last five years on nitrous oxide. The Mater hospital has said there has been an increase in the number of young people presenting to the accident and emergency department with sensory and balance issues, neurological conditions, mental health conditions and respiratory conditions. I could go on and on.

Just before Christmas, Tallaght Hospital produced a report on nitrous oxide. In the previous 12 months it had 18 people presenting to the hospital who were diagnosed with a neurological condition just because of inhaling nitrous oxide.

These conditions can be life-altering. As was reported on RTÉ news, children are presenting to Crumlin children's hospital with third degree burns from inhaling nitrous oxide. When let out of the canister, compressed nitrous oxide is cold. If people put it straight to their mouths, they get third degree frostbite burns. If they hold it in their hands, they get burns on their hands as well.

A recent study by the adolescent addiction service in Cherry Orchard showed an increase of 175% in the number of young people presenting to the HSE's addiction services looking for help with their nitrous oxide use. I have worked in addiction services. When you see an increase of 175% in one year, you know there is a problem.

The EU has produced a report and is looking to put in place a derogation to prohibit the sale of nitrous oxide to the public because of the damage it is doing to people's reproductive health. That is when it is used in a clinical setting, such as in dentistry. God knows what it is doing to young people who are inhaling nitrous oxide if it is causing damage in those controlled settings. Is this one of the reasons the Minister is kicking it down the road? Why wait? We are a sovereign country. We do not have to wait for the EU. We can do this here and now.

The Bill itself is similar to legislation that was introduced in Holland a couple of years ago. There are a few changes. I thank the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers in the Oireachtas for its help on this. The Bill is 20 pages long. It was not just thrown together. It took 14 months to get to this stage. It went through every kind of critical thinking and stakeholder conversation possible. On that note, I thank the Clondalkin Drug and Alcohol Task Force for its help with the Bill. I welcome those from Dublin city's Comhairle na nÓg who are in the Gallery tonight. They have done a huge amount of work to raise awareness around nitrous oxide among young people. I will simplify these 20 pages. The Bill will require wholesalers to hold a licence to sell nitrous oxide products. Retailers who sell nitrous oxide products will need to be on a register of approved sellers. It will only be possible to sell these products to exempt purchasers. It is a simple Bill that can make a big difference. The Minister has five years. He can kick this down the road for nine years but he has five years and has not come up with an alternative. If he comes up with an alternative in his ten-minute speech after I have sat down, I am open to listening to it, but urgency is needed on this...

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