Fine Gael National Press Office Press Release

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Kenny calls for support for voluntary drug & alcohol testing in schools

FG proposes zero alcohol limit for inexperienced drivers

Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny TD addressing the Young Fine Gael pre-election conference, Challenging the Present, Building the Future, has said the Party is seeking the support of young people for new measures to curb drug misuse among the young and reduce the level of road traffic accidents involving alcohol.

"I am mindful of the challenges that young people are facing in modern Ireland and their rights and responsibilities in playing their vital part in society. I am also confident for their bright future and Fine Gael wants to work with young people to ensure that their generation has the capacity, and the security, to live better than any previous one.

"It is with this bright future in mind that I am so concerned by the all too frequent media reports of young people who are injured or die in road traffic accidents and how many road traffic accidents involve alcohol - over a third of all fatal crashes. Inexperienced drivers are a higher risk on our roads and studies show that the current legal limit of 0.8mg makes a driver in the 18-34 age bracket three times more likely to crash than if they had no alcohol at all. I believe that we should immediately introduce a new 0.2mg level, essentially a zero-alcohol policy, for every provisional licence holder and for those on a full licence for less than two years, regardless of their age. I believe that most young people are responsible and I know that many have been touched by the tragedy of deaths on our roads and I believe that their support for such a measure will be forthcoming.

"In thinking about alcohol and the negative effects it can have on our society it must lead us to consider the pernicious rise in drug use and the worrying evidence of abuse and addiction among young people. I believe there is an important role for schools and that we must give them the tools, and the support they need, to help tackle drug and alcohol abuse. In other countries, systems of random voluntary drug and alcohol testing in schools have had some very positive results. I believe that where the management of a school, in consultation with parents, decides to introduce random drug and alcohol testing, then the Department of Education & Science should provide the resources to allow this testing to happen.

"Young Fine Gael is celebrating its 30th anniversary at this conference and it has never shied away from challenging issues and putting the interests of young people first. That is why I am confident in placing these challenging proposals before this audience knowing that they will serve the best interests of young people."

ENDS

Note for editors: full text of speech is below

CHALLENGING THE PRESENT, BUILDING THE FUTURE
1. Introduction
Over the past 15 years, Ireland has experienced considerable growth, change, and expansion. Unemployment has fallen, sharply, and third-level participation has risen.

Now, more of today's young people are in college than any previous generation in our history. And, many young people are working in new industries that had not even been heard of in 1990s Ireland.

Every aspect of how our young people live - how they study, work and communicate - has changed. Comparisons with our past, with the Ireland of the 1950s for example, could not be starker. The large-scale emigration of our young people - a forced and unrelenting exile - is no more.

Instead, in 2007, we witness a growing number of immigrants choosing to make Ireland their home. I recently raised this issue, and stated that I believe that whilst immigration can be good for Ireland, the current process is not being managed well. I believe that we need an immigration system that is good for the Irish and good for the immigrants, not one which fails both groups.

I mention this ongoing debate to highlight the distance that Ireland has travelled in the last 50 years. Now, as then, Ireland's young people travel the world. The difference is that today they do so to study, to work and to experience life beyond their own physical and cultural borders. They make the journey free in the knowledge that, when they wish, they can return home - today, young people can make a life in Ireland.

This is very positive - this freedom, a fundamental liberty, should not be underestimated. However, as with every aspect of our lives, 'terms and conditions' apply:

- There are hidden - and not so hidden - costs to how we now live.
- There are challenges - seen and unseen - that can have serious consequences for young people.
- And, there are pressures - some relenting and overwhelming - that can even lead to the premature ending of young lives.

If we do not meet the challenges of the present, then we cannot build the type of future our country needs. Building the Ireland of tomorrow rests on all our shoulders but particularly on yours, the younger members of our society, and this generation.

But to allow you to fulfil this great responsibility, the State must play a real part in empowering all young people to live richer, more fulfilling lives. This means recognising that today's unparalleled opportunities come with unprecedented pressures; the pressure to perform, and to conform; the pressure to succeed and to exceed; the pressure to fit in, and to stand out.

These conflicting pressures are sending mixed messages to our young people. In the maelstrom of our media-driven and marketing-obsessed lives, the real rights and responsibilities of our young people are being continually blurred.

Young people have many rights - I'll mention just a few. Young people have the right to an education. They have the right to socialise with their friends, without feeling under physical threat as they walk home from the cinema, the pub or a club. They have the right to respect, and to self-expression. They have the right to expect fair treatment, and not to be discriminated against on the grounds of age.

Perhaps most importantly, young people have a right to question the order of how we do things, and the ways that things work. In fact, society depends on that questioning to avoid complacency, and to ensure that the question "Why do we do things like this?" cannot simply be answered with "Because that's the way we always have."

All of these rights come with corresponding responsibilities. The most important of these is the responsibility to act with responsibility. Young people have a responsibility not to risk their own lives, or the lives of others, on our roads. Young people have a responsibility, to themselves and to their families, to be aware of the real dangers that alcohol and drugs can pose.

Young people have a particular responsibility to respect the diversity - of both background and opinion - which is an increasing factor in Irish life. And, along with the right to question how things are done, comes the even greater responsibility to engage in the process of building a better Ireland for generations to come. Apathy is irresponsible.

Fine Gael wants to work with young people - in line with these rights and responsibilities - to ensure that that every person reaches their potential, and that all young people have the capacity, and the security, to live better than any previous generation has been able to.

2. Suicide

However, depression, eating disorders, and suicide are blighting too many young lives, or cutting them short altogether. It is now estimated that up to 400,000 people in Ireland are suffering from depression, with approximately 200,000 suffering from an eating disorder.

Think of this - the average age of a person with such an eating disorder varies from 14 years for anorexia to 17 years for bulimia.

But it is the ultimate expression of despair - suicide - that sees an average of 450 people die in this way each year, and in excess of 10,000 presenting at A&E having attempted suicide. Every year, more people die by suicide than are killed on Ireland's roads.

Suicide is an issue that disproportionately affects young people. Ireland has the fifth highest suicide rate in the EU among 15 to 24 year olds and this is the chief cause of death for those under 25 here. Young Fine Gael has raised this issue time and again - most recently in the 'Talk' campaign - and I applaud your efforts for encouraging openness and debate on the causes of youth suicide.

Suicide is inextricably linked to the pressures that young people face. The brash and brassy side of Celtic Tiger Ireland places a high-premium on material success and outward appearance. But what happens if you leave school early, or parent a child and drop-out of college? What happens if you fail your exams, or lose your job? What happens if your relationship breaks down, or if you're gay but cannot tell anyone?

To address the issue of suicide, Fine Gael and the Labour Party came together to agree a set of joint proposals. In Government, our two parties will:

- Increase the budget of the National Suicide Prevention Office to €10 million initially, and to €20 million over 5 years;
- Provide a comprehensive package for all primary and secondary schools, including mental health programmes and comprehensive counselling services; and,
- Establish formal structured partnerships between the voluntary and community sector and the statutory sector to strengthen community-based suicide prevention strategies and bereavement support.

Our strategies will give young people the support that they need - through both the education and the health sectors - at times of crisis and despair.

3. Addiction

We must also help young people to break free from addiction. Whilst alcohol has, traditionally, been the drug of choice in Ireland, growing ambivalence towards harder drugs - particularly cocaine - is one of the greatest challenges we now face.

The lack of facilities for young people adds greatly to this problem. Real alternatives - in the form of youth centres and sports clubs - need to be put in place. In communities where young people have little constructive to do, but lots of time to do it in, the allure of the quick hit can be hard to resist.

The pernicious rise in drug use has also been accompanied by a sharp increase in gangland shootings, and I believe that the role of the personal drug user in promoting the drug industry in this country is a reality that should be faced up to.

As I said many times last year, every time a person snorts this innocuous looking white powder they are contributing to the drug-fuelled, barbaric, execution-style gangland shootings that we have witnessed recently. It is hypocritical - in the extreme - to profess horror at these crimes if you, by your habits, are propping up the illegal empires that ruthless drug barons have created.

Today, young people are not only facing the widespread availability of alcohol, but also greater access to drugs than at any time in our history:

- European studies show that Irish boys and girls aged 16 years are among the highest alcohol abusers in Europe in terms of binge drinking and drunkenness;
- 16% of boys and 12% of girls in the 12 to 14 age group are regular drinkers. In the 15 to 17 age group half of boys and girls are regular drinkers, and drunkenness is commonplace; and,
- There is documented use of cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy and opiates by 15 year olds, and these drugs are undoubtedly being used by younger children also.

Fine Gael has already put forward policies on how to tackle Ireland's drug problem, and help addicts break the cycle of addiction. Our record on this issue is a good one - it was the Rainbow Government which established Local Drugs Task Forces to work in the communities most affected by drugs. Today, we are facing a similar crisis regarding underage and binge drinking, and drug misuse.

A new and comprehensive National Addiction Strategy must be established. This new strategy, which would tackle both alcohol and illicit drug abuse, must be accompanied by improvements in treatment, family support services, and the response of our Courts. Young people who find themselves in the vice-like grip of drug addiction should have a structured health plan to help them break the habit, coupled with access to increased support services such as counselling.

There is a role for our schools here also. A key aspect of Fine Gael's approach to tackling Ireland's drug problem will be that all schools will have access to a School Drug Advisor or Community Worker. These people will be tasked with the responsibility to assist schools in delivering substance abuse education and support services to address pupil's and teacher's needs.

In addition, I want to help young people break away from the pressures of their peer group. The need to conform - to blend in - is leading some to experiment with drugs and alcohol to an ever-greater extent. Because of peer pressure, when young people are offered drugs or alcohol they may feel that they can't say no, even if they want to.

We must give schools the tools, and the support, that they need to tackle drug and alcohol abuse. In other countries, systems of random voluntary drug and alcohol testing at schools have had some very positive results - students have performed better in their exams, and the testing strategy has acted as a strong deterrent to drug taking.

In addition, the existence of voluntary random drug and alcohol testing schemes has counteracted 'peer pressure'. For the first time, young people have been able to refuse to experiment on the basis that there is a very real chance that they might be caught. This has given young people, who otherwise would feel pressurised into taking drugs or alcohol, a way to just say no.

At a time of unprecedented pressure on our young people, the time is now to empower young people, parents and schools in the fight against drugs and alcohol. I believe that where the management of a school, in consultation with parents, decides to introduce random drug and alcohol testing, then the Department of Education and Science should provide the resources to allow this testing to happen.

Instead of continually applying the same rigid and inflexible policies to all schools, I want to empower them to deal with this issue in their own way. If we want more innovative solutions to the problems of our time, then we have to challenge our 'one size fits all' mentality. Instead of imposing solutions - from the top down - let's give schools and parents a real choice, and real alternatives.

4. Road Safety

In addition to seriously addressing suicide, and tackling drug taking, we cannot accept the loss of life on our roads as being anything other than an unacceptable waste of life. The casual and cavalier approach that some drivers take to road safety must be dealt with.

Make no mistake - it is the ultimate irresponsibility not only to play fast and loose with your own life, but also to threaten the lives of others as they go about their lawful business.

One of the cornerstones in the battle to reduce road fatalities has been the introduction of penalty points, yet there are serious flaws in this system. For example, 20% of penalty points are never applied, as those living in Ireland but from other EU countries are not required to transfer their driving licences. This loophole must be closed off, so that penalty points can be effectively applied in a fair way.

But, to get serious about the issue of road safety, we have to tackle drink-driving. Alcohol is a major factor in over a third of all fatal crashes. We know that inexperienced drivers are a higher-risk on our roads, and adding alcohol to this mix is a lethal combination. Studies show that the current legal limit of 0.8 makes a driver in the 18-34 age bracket three times more likely to crash than if they had no alcohol at all.

I believe that we should immediately introduce a new 0.2 level, essentially a zero-alcohol policy, for every provisional licence holder and for those on a full licence for less than two years, regardless of their age.

Many inexperienced drivers have already taken the responsible, zero-alcohol approach. But there is a hardcore minority risking their own lives and threatening the lives of others. A new zero-alcohol level would send the right message to those inexperienced drivers that, in the Ireland of 2006, you cannot drink and drive.
5. Housing

Building the future isn't just about recognising your responsibilities; it's about working to achieve your goals, and making the most of your lives. Fine Gael wants to give you back the ability to do the things that have been taken out of your reach, like owning your own home.

Astronomical house prices are crippling young people, and driving them deeper and deeper into dept. Fine Gael will bring home ownership back into your reach by reforming Stamp Duty and increasing the exemption threshold to at least €450,000. And, we will only levy stamp duty on that portion of the house price that is above that threshold.

Add this to our commitment to establish an SSIA-type saving scheme to help young people save for a deposit, and home ownership will once again become a realisable aspiration, not a pipe-dream.
6. Conclusion

What I have outlined today is only a snapshot of the issues that face younger members of our society. But these problems, coupled with the conflicting messages and pressures that bombard young people today, shows that one thing is quite clear - now, more than ever, young people need to have the confidence to think for themselves, to critically assess society, and to scrutinise their Government.

This is crucial, for there is important work ahead for young people and each and every one of you has a part to play in Ireland's future.

Building the future is a humbling responsibility - for all of us, but particularly the younger members of our society. In coming years you will be responsible for our health service, for our education system, for how we deal with crime and how we manage our economy. Soon, you will define Ireland, and how our country interacts with our European neighbours and the wider world. And, for future generations, you will build Ireland's place in an increasingly shrinking world.

To build the best and brightest future for Ireland, we must now make a commitment to our young people:

- You can live better, and longer, than any other generation in our history - together, we can make this happen.
- You can be better educated. You can lead the world - together, we must make this happen.
- You can live safely, and so can your children - together, we will make this happen.

Now, we face a great opportunity. With an election just around the corner, our country needs your help, your enthusiasm and your commitment.

Now is the time to face this challenge. Now is the time to change this Government. Now is the time to elect Fine Gael to do the job the country needs us to do.

To make tomorrow, let's start today.