A claim by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny that there is widespread use of illegal drugs throughout the State was rejected by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern during exchanges.
"I do not believe that we should be attempting to say that it is [going on] in every village, community and locality in the country, and that there is rampant and serious drug-taking, because there is not."
Mr Ahern added that, relatively speaking, a small proportion of people are involved with drugs. "The attempt to try and almost entice young people, that if they are not into it, they should be, is irresponsible."
Fine Gael chief whip Paul Kehoe said: "Go into the villages and find out."
Mr Kenny said he knew the Taoiseach was moving around the State.
"Cocaine, cannabis, heroin and ecstasy are available in every village, every parish, every townland, every city in this country now. Apparently, if you want a snort, or a shot of this, you will get it within 10 or 15 minutes anywhere. So much for zero tolerance."
Mr Kenny said figures for burglary were down because a person can break into a house, cause €500,000 worth of damage, and that person is not committing a burglary unless something is stolen. The figures are being deliberately massaged.
Criticising the Government's record on crime, Mr Kenny said last year 33 people charged with homicide were released on bail. A total of 595 people were charged with assault and released on bail; 97 people charged with sexual offences were on bail.
"Every one of those stood in a court and applied for bail. Every one of those had bail granted to them. What kind of country are you running?"
Mr Kenny said it had been proposed in the House a number of times that judges be given the right, on Garda advice, to electronically tag criminals where serious offences are involved. The Minister for Justice "was out of the blocks in 15 minutes, saying that this is rubbish and cannot be done".
Mr Ahern said Mr Kenny should not forget that people were innocent until proven guilty.
"People who come before the courts are entitled under our Constitution, and the law of the land, to make their case. If you are asking that everybody who goes before the courts should be locked up, and want to implement it, that is another issue."
Stressing the independence of the judiciary, Mr Ahern said people who came before the courts did not look to him.
"It is fair enough to ask me should we stiffen our bail laws. That is precisely what the Minister for Justice is doing today. These are issues which have been looked at before, but this House, on many times, has refused to toughen the bail laws because of concerns."
He added that yesterday's Government proposals would make it more difficult to get bail in drug trafficking, firearms and other offences.
