Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too wish to send my condolences to the family of Mary O’Rourke. I first met Mary when she was a Minister and I was the Lord Mayor of Cork in 2003. We had an entertaining engagement because, as Lord Mayor of Cork, one of the jobs you have is to visit every school in the city and grant a half-day. Her colleague, Noel Dempsey, withdrew the right to grant the half-day. I remember Mary telling me that if she was Minister, she would have been far more diplomatic in making sure that the power of the Lord Mayor of Cork was not removed. I always remember that conversation. I send my condolences to her family. She made a huge contribution over a long number of years in this House and the Seanad and to the constituency which she served.

I thank Deputy Andrews for raising this issue. I am familiar with the challenges in the Irish Prison Service as I make an open admission that a member of my own family worked in a medical role for a time in the Prison Service. I am very much aware of the challenges in this regard. On the point which the Deputy has raised, it is important I engage with the Department of Justice about this matter because my role is in the whole drugs addiction area. It is an important issue the Deputy has raised.

I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, who cannot be here to give this reply. I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter.

The Irish Prison Service is committed to providing the best possible healthcare to all prisoners, including those living with addiction. The Irish Prison Service has partnered with Merchants Quay Ireland to provide an in-reach service to prisoners who require addiction counselling. There are currently 19 addiction counsellors working across 11 prisons, providing an invaluable rehabilitative service to prisoners, and it is hoped that in the coming months this service will be further enhanced and refined to reach more vulnerable prisoners.

The Irish Prison Service recognises that when it comes to treating addiction, one size does not fit all. As such, it is also striving to diversify its approach to the treatment of addiction and has been engaging with numerous organisations, including AA and NA, DCU's Recovery College initiative, and the HSE's dual diagnosis clinical programme to expand the options available and ultimately reach more prisoners. Prison nurses play a pivotal role in the provision of healthcare to inmates and show great care and professionalism across a range of fields, from primary care to mental health and addiction.

The chief nurse officer within each prison is tasked with ensuring the equitable delivery of healthcare resources to cater for the diverse and often complex needs of prisoners. There is currently no dedicated addiction nursing role within the Irish Prison Service because all prison nurses are members of the same primary care team within the prison. As such, their focus is on duties such as, but by no means limited to, medication administration, triaging, wound care and vaccination. In addition, there are a number of primary care nurses who are assigned the function of carrying out specialist addiction assessments when this is feasible, taking account of the operational demands of the prison. However, in light of the prevalence of addiction issues among the Irish prisoner population, and recommendations from the high-level task force on mental health and addiction, Irish Prison Service drug strategy and the health needs assessment, the Irish Prison Service appointed in May of this year a national clinical lead for mental health and addiction whose primary focus will be improving and enhancing clinical protocols, governance and, ultimately, the breadth of services available to prisoners living with addiction. One of the actions that may have commenced is the scoping of an addiction nurse role as part of the prison healthcare team to build the case for the introduction of an addiction nurse to provide crucial care for those most in need in our prisons.

That is the response I have received from the Department of Justice.

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