College of Psychiatrists of Ireland

Lobbying Organisation College of Psychiatrists of Ireland

Date published 21 Apr, 2026

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Health

Period 1 Jan. 2026 to 30 Apr. 2026

Specific Details The College sent a letter to Deputy Gary Gannon requesting a meeting with her on the National Drug Strategy on 11 December 2025. Also sent was a submission outlining the College’s key recommendations for the NDS.

Intended results We wrote a letter to Deputy Gannon requesting to member of the College to present to the Oireachtas Committee on Drugs.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Dr Bobby Smyth

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (1)

A letter requesting an opportunity for members of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland to present to the Oireachtas Committee on Drugs. The College was disappointed not to have a more central and prominent role in the efforts to develop the new National Drugs Strategy. Generally, where strategies are being developed in any area of health care, the consultant specialists who lead on treatment in that area are central to policy development.

Email (1)

Attached a letter with a submission that we had previously sent to Minister Murnane O'Connor last December. We made a series of recommendations regarding opportunities (1) to improve treatment provision, (2) to reduce drug use and related harms and (3) to improve the ongoing expert health and science-informed oversight of the ever-changing drug landscape.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Gary Gannon TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)