A SUGGESTION by Mr Joe Costello (Lab, Dublin Central) that assets and property seized from criminals and drug barons should be used to fund facilities for deprived drug addicts is to be considered by the Minister for Finance.
Mr Costello said that a place like the Jessbrook equestrian centre, valued at £4 million, could be used as a treatment centre for recovering addicts. He said that the Criminal Assets Bureau had the drug barons under pressure. Some of the houses they had put up for sale before fleeing the State had been withdrawn. Many of the crime godfathers had fled to England, Spain or the Netherlands.
"It would be very valuable if it could be seen that monies confiscated were to filter back to the local communities for facilities in disadvantaged areas.
Agreeing in principle with the proposal, the Minister, Mr Quinn said he would investigate how it could be achieved. He advised Mr Costello to table an amendment to the Finance Bill to see if the matter could be dealt with in that way.