The Deputy, who chaired the panel, was referring to comments by the presidents of Health and Social Services, Senator Stuart Syvret, and Home Affairs, Senator Wendy Kinnard, that the report was ‘non-evidence and anecdotal based’.
Describing their comments as ‘disappointingly predictable,’ Deputy Dorey said that judging from their views, the panel should have only listened to professional advice and simply agreed with it.
During their inquiries, the panel spoke to about 60 drug addicts and family members, with some addicts talking to Deputy Dorey on his own.
In the forward to the report, Deputy Dorey refers to users and families of users who spoke to the panel as ‘courageous human beings who braved stigma to come forward and tell their personal stories’.
‘It is interesting to note that both statutory- and voluntary-sector spokesmen were divided about issues in the report, yet users and their families, whose views the panel also had a duty to reflect, were absolutely united,’ he said.
What concerned him was that committee presidents and others had criticised references in the report to supervised injecting centres which operated in Europe and the possibility of setting up a needle exchange in the prison.
‘All the panel has done is ask both committees to consider these issues fairly,’ said Deputy Dorey.
