David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Catherine Byrne, I am pleased to address the Seanad on the subject of methadone maintenance treatment. I acknowledge the work Senator Ó Ríordáin did when he was Minister of State and his continued genuine and passionate interest in this area. I also acknowledge his support for the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne. She regrets that she cannot be present as she is attending a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health. I will convey the Senator's comments to her.

Government policy on the drugs issue is set out in the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016. The overall objective of the strategy is to tackle the harm caused to individuals and society by the misuse of drugs. The strategy emphasises the need to provide opportunities for people to move on from illicit drug use to a drug-free life where that is achievable. Methadone maintenance treatment is a critical stabilising treatment that enables the people concerned to counter their problem drug use and to rebuild their lives. In conjunction with other services and supports, such as counselling, after-care and training, methadone maintenance treatment provides a pathway to recovery for the individual affected by problem substance use. However, different people in various circumstances may require different approaches to treatment and support.

There are currently over 10,000 people availing of methadone treatment. The Health Service Executive, HSE, has advised that the number of individuals awaiting treatment has significantly reduced in recent years. At the end of March 2016, a total of 163 people were waiting on opioid substitution treatment. This compares with 445 in July 2010, a reduction of over 63%. This is against a background of increasing numbers in methadone treatment.

Historically, the development of the addiction service was made possible through consultation and partnership with local communities. This has meant that services were established within particular geographical areas, with the agreement of the local community, that would provide a service specifically to people from that area. The effect of this type of agreement is that it has enabled the HSE to develop methadone services in some areas which may not have had such services previously. However, they were restricted in some instances to providing a service solely to residents from within that area. This approach has made it difficult to develop services that respond to individuals with particular needs, such as people who are homeless, since they do not belong to a specific geographical location.

As the Senator will be aware, the Department of Health is currently developing a new strategy, which the Minister of State hopes will be completed in early 2017. One of the key issues being examined as part of the process is how to improve access to treatment for people affected by problem substance use. A number of issues have been raised in the course of this process, including the difficulty of attracting general practitioners, GPs, to participate in the methadone programme. The slow rate of transfer of patients from the clinics to the primary care setting and from level-two GPs to level-one GPs is also an issue affecting progression rates. The Minister of State is hopeful that solutions will emerge to these issues in the context of the new strategic action plan to tackle the drugs problem.

I am sorry to hear the person the Senator was acquainted with has passed away in those circumstances. I extend our condolences.