John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. As Deputy D'Arcy will be aware, the management and delivery of health and personal social services, including methadone services, are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline the actions being taken by the HSE to expand the availability and access to drug treatment services.

Under the interim national drugs strategy for 2009 to 2016, the HSE is implementing part of action 34 by providing methadone clinics in targeted areas where waiting lists have emerged. One of these clinics is being provided in Gorey, County Wexford. This clinic will be a methadone scripting clinic which will open only twice per week for three hour sessions. Methadone will not be provided in the clinic. It will be staffed by a methadone level two trained GP and support nursing and general assistance staff. This is a key action in the 2010 HSE national service plan and part of the comprehensive harm reduction programme being implemented by the HSE across the country.

There are an estimated 14,500 opiate users in Ireland. At the end of December 2009, some 9,047 clients received methadone maintenance treatment services, 5,382 of whom were dispensed methadone by pharmacists in the community rather than in specialist addiction clinics. The number of GPs providing methadone maintenance treatment at the end of December 2009 was 277 while the number of pharmacies involved was 480. The HSE is planning to expand these services in 2010.

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