Dr. Eamon Keenan:

There is a commitment towards recovery. We have significant numbers of detoxification beds. We employ significant numbers of counsellors across services both in the HSE and in the community and voluntary sector to work with people around developing care plans. Sometimes that care plan may be to continue on methadone and get back into the workplace. It is not necessarily a bad thing that somebody has been retained on a methadone programme for a number of years. It has allowed them to look at their family, employment and life circumstances and to get their lives back on track. The fact that they have remained on methadone or on buprenorphine is not necessarily a bad thing. For individuals who want to move off that, there are supports available in terms of recovery. The Deputy is right that recovery is a central part of addiction services and treatment. We are committed to working on that.