Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter and I acknowledge her good wishes to me in my new role.

I wish to reassure the Senator that the Government is committed to tackling alcohol misuse and is cognisant of the widespread harm and pain it causes. Alcohol is causing significant problems across the population - in workplaces and to children - and is a substantial burden to all in society. The HSE provides services to prevent and treat addiction to alcohol. People who present for alcohol addiction treatment are offered a range of interventions, namely, initial assessment, comprehensive assessment, the Minnesota programme, brief intervention, individual counselling, self-help, peer support or a combination of these depending on the individual. The delivery of these services is based on the four-tier model of treatment intervention and services are designed to respond to the individual’s specific identified needs. This care model implies that clients should be offered the least intensive intervention appropriate to their need when they present for treatment initially.

Interventions range from community and family-based supports through to primary care services and specialist support services either in the community or residential settings. Inter-agency working involving the HSE, drug task forces and multiple other community, statutory and voluntary agencies forms the basis of this delivery, as the target is to provide services, where possible, in a community environment. Counselling and rehabilitation services provide care to those presenting with an addiction through one-to-one counselling and onward referral to other statutory and voluntary groups where appropriate. The HSE also provides funding to a number of voluntary service providers who treat drug and alcohol addictions. The remit of the drugs task forces was extended to include the problem of alcohol misuse in 2014, in view of the central role they play in coordinating the response to substance misuse at local level. Last year, five drug and alcohol task force areas developed implementation plans to reduce alcohol-related harms, with a further five task forces developing implementation plans in 2016. The Senator will acknowledge that this is something in which she is interested.

The experience of children living with and affected by parental substance misuse has become widely known as "hidden harm". These children are often not known to services and suffer harm as a result of their parents substance misuse. The importance of recognising hidden harm and ensuring these children are identified and supported at an earlier stage cannot be underestimated. The HSE's addiction services and Tusla have collaborated on the development of a hidden harm strategy statement. The statement, which is due to be published shortly, will address what needs to happen to create the structures, processes and continuum of care to effectively respond to hidden harm. In addition to providing services to those impacted by alcohol abuse, the Government is working to reduce alcohol consumption and to address the underlying causes of alcohol misuse, that is, affordability. availability and attractiveness. The Government approved the publication of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 and its introduction in the Houses of the Oireachtas last December. The Bill completed Second Stage in the Seanad on 17 December and I expect that it will commence Committee Stage early in the next term. I am anxious that it be prioritised to resume its passage in the next term.