An Cathaoirleach: We have apologies from Deputy Devine and Sherlock.

I welcome everyone. I am delighted to open the 15th public meeting of the joint committee. This is our third and final session on treatment, recovery and rehabilitation. I welcome our witnesses. From the Scottish Drugs Forum, SDF, I welcome Ms Kirsten Horsburgh, CEO. From Turas Counselling, I welcome Ms Nicki Jordan, manager, Mr. Alan Duff, clinical manager, and Mr. Peter McKevitt, chairperson of the board of management. From the European Network of People who Use Drugs, EuroNPUD, I welcome Mx. Leo Jefferys, acting executive director, and Dr. Richard Healy, board secretary. Dr. Healy is also the lead researcher with Service Users Rights in Action, SURIA. From the Drug Treatment Court, I welcome Ms Nina Brennan, assistant secretary, head of Circuit Court and District Court operations, and Ms Fiona Wright, principal officer, head of the Dublin civil and family law combined office. They are all very welcome.

All opening statements have been circulated to members and will be published on the Oireachtas website after this session. As agreed, opening statements will be limited to five minutes each to allow time for questions and answers. I am conscious of the wide range of issues to be discussed today. If necessary, further or more detailed information can be sent to the clerk for circulation to members.

I should also mention that members will be in and out of the committee room depending on their Dáil or Seanad requirements in the Chambers, so I ask witnesses not to read more into that.

I invite Ms Kirsten Horsburgh to deliver her opening statement on behalf of the Scottish Drugs Forum. She is joining us remotely. She is very welcome and has five minutes.

Ms Kirsten Horsburgh I thank the committee for the invitation to speak today. I apologise that I could not be there in person. Regardless, it is a genuine privilege to be contributing, particularly because the conversations happening in Ireland and Scotland often feel closely connected.

SDF is the national, membership-based organisation working to improve Scotland’s approach to drug-related issues. We influence this by striving for compassionate, inclusive, evidence-informed policy and practice. We are grappling with many of the same challenges: deeply concerning levels of drug-related deaths and harms and an urgent need to build systems that genuinely improve people’s lives. Last year, we were grateful to colleagues from Ireland who came to Scotland to speak at our conference. Those exchanges matter because they remind us that none of us are starting from scratch, and none of us should be making these decisions in isolation.

Scotland faces the highest drug-related death rate in Europe. It is no exaggeration to describe this as a preventable humanitarian disaster. While the context is specific, many of the pressures will feel familiar here: poverty, trauma, inequality and long-standing gaps in treatment and support, all compounded by drug laws that are outdated, restrictive and misaligned with a public health approach.

Scotland is often described as progressive in its approach to drugs policy, and in some respects that is fair. We have made important progress in treatment, particularly through the introduction of medication-assisted treatment standards. These standards represent a shift toward person-centred care – faster access, continuity, choice and dignity – and they are helping to move services away from punitive and overly conditional models.

We have also expanded the use of long-acting injectable buprenorphine, and SDF's peer-led research in Scotland is already showing positive experiences for people. This matters because choices for people with opioid dependence are still relatively limited, and additions like this can make a real difference for individuals, while being clear that no single medication is a solution on its own. Methadone, buprenorphine in all its forms, and other options must all remain on the table, with treatment and wider supports shaped around the person, not the drug.

One of the key lessons from Scotland is that having the right policy direction is not the same as delivering real change. Implementation has been uneven, and access still varies significantly depending on where someone lives. We also remain too focused on specific substances, particularly opioids, when the reality for many people is complex, overlapping use involving benzodiazepines, stimulants, alcohol and a range of other substances.

(click here for the full debate)

Opening statement, Kirsten Horsbugh, CEO, Scottish Drugs Forum

Opening statement, Leo Jefferys, Acting Executive Director, European Network of People who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD)

Opening statement, Alan Duff, Clinical Manager, Turas Counselling

Opening statement, Nina Brennan, Assistant Secretary, Head of Circuit and District Court Operations, Drug Treatment Court