Mr. Fergal Black:

The Deputy is quite right in that hepatitis C is now both preventable and curable. It is more prevalent among the prisoner population due to issues related to addiction, high-risk behaviour and some people's inability to access services. The HSE has a national programme and over 5,000 patients in the State are now being treated with highly effective direct acting antiviral drugs for hepatitis C. Professor Aidan McCormick, the HSE clinical lead for the hepatitis C programme, has engaged directly with us and is committed to giving access to all communities, including prisoners, and that is very important for us.

We now have a process in place with the HSE and pilot projects will be rolled out in Cork and Limerick prisons in the first instance to ensure we can provide a robust and comprehensive hepatitis C programme, similar to what is happening in the community, and where this can lead to a point where the condition is curable for people entering prison. During the course of this year the programme will roll out in the two prisons and be extended.