Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Two key studies are to be undertaken in the next year or so through which progress of the prevention pillar of the national drug strategy will be monitored. These will be comparable to studies that were carried out in 2000 and 2002.

With specific respect to opiate users, and to the 5% target figure for 2007, the first benchmark study carried out was the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, NACD, study, A 3-Source Capture Recapture Study of the Prevalence of Opiate Use in Ireland 2000 to 2001, published in May 2003. The study estimated that 14,452 people were using heroin in 2001, of which 12,456 were in the greater Dublin area. This represented a small decrease on the 1996 figure for the greater Dublin area, which indicated that 13,461 people were using heroin. Work on a further such study is now at planning stage but it will be at least 12 months before the figures emerge.

Meanwhile, the outcome of the recently commenced drugs prevalence survey 2006-07, with a first report of national prevalence figures and trends expected in late 2007, will provide up-to-date information on the national prevalence of a range of drugs including heroin. It will also, for the first time, provide comprehensive information on trends since the initial survey in 2002.

As to whether the 5% target alluded to by the Deputy and relating to the capture-recapture study will be reached, this will only be known when the new study is completed around the end of next year. However, there are encouraging signs of progress over the past couple of years in tackling heroin use, and drug use in general — be it in the areas of drug seizures, the expansion and success of treatment services, the development of prevention programmes in schools, the expanding work of local drugs task forces, the establishment of regional drugs task forces, the work of the young peoples facility and services fund and the results of the research outcome study in Ireland, ROSIE, which recently reported very positively on the successful outcomes from the treatment of opiate users.

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