Over the weekend, the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use met for the penultimate time. All indications from the assembly point to a liberalisation of our drugs policy. We have had six decades of this and it has been largely a failure. If the recommendations are for decriminalisation and forms of regulation, will the Government implement those recommendations? According to the chair, Mr. Paul Reid, there is a "mood for change". Is there a mood for change in relation to six decades of a failed policy around drug use?

Out of respect to the citizens' assembly, we should allow it to complete its work. The citizens have not voted yet and they have not made any recommendations yet. That will happen in the next couple of weeks. We should allow them to complete their work without pre-empting what their recommendations may be.

The general procedure that we have taken in politics and in our political system since we established citizens' assemblies is to refer the report for detailed consideration by the relevant committee. I imagine that will be the next step but I do not want to pre-empt the outcome of a citizens' assembly that is still meeting.