Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 778: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans for expanding drug treatment and counselling in prisons; the number of prisoners who currently avail of these services; if there is a waiting list for these services in prisons; if so, the number of prisoners on this list and the estimated length of wait involved; and the current expenditure on drug treatment and counselling in prisons. [1670/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Drug treatment services for prisoners involve a significant multidimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and visiting statutory and non-statutory organisations. Particular initiatives put in place include drug detoxification, substitution therapies, drug free programmes involving one-to-one counselling, accommodation in drug free areas, health interventions, vaccination programmes and treatment for viral illnesses as well as drug misuse awareness programmes. In addition, the Irish Prison Service provides prisoners with a range of opportunities to encourage them to aspire to a substance-free lifestyle, before and after release, thereby reducing demand for illicit substances.

Many staff appointments have been made in this area in recent years and specific new expertise now in place includes the services of a pharmacist; deputy governor with responsibility for drugs-related staff training; co-ordinator of drug treatment services (prisons), appointed by the Eastern Regional Health Authority; three-person probation and welfare service team led by a senior probation and welfare officer; and a consultant psychiatrist in addictions appointed by the Northern Area Health Board to provide sessions at the Mountjoy complex.

Arrangements for a similar appointment by the South Western Area Health Board to provide sessions at Cloverhill and Wheatfield prisons are in the process of being implemented; and co-ordinator of prison nursing and 84 additional professional nurses.

There has been a significant expansion of methadone maintenance in recent years and up to 500 prisoners are in receipt of methadone on any given day, a large number of prisoners undergo detoxification each week, there are nine spaces available on drug detoxification/treatment programme in Mountjoy Prison which is run every seven weeks and over 400 prisoners are accommodated in drug free areas where they co-operate with testing to ensure their continuing drug free status. There is an additional number of prisoners in receipt of addiction counselling. It is not the practice to maintain a central record of the number of prisoners engaged in such counselling or to maintain a waiting list of prisoners for drug treatment. However, it is accepted that the difficulties in appointing particular specialist staffing, for example, certain medical staff, addiction counsellors and psychologists, has impacted on the ability of some prisoners to access treatment and support in a timely manner.

Given the diverse range of general and specialist services providing drug treatment, which are not funded by my Department, it is not possible to readily estimate the exact extent of expenditure on drug treatment services. The compilation of such information would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort to prepare and could not be justified in current circumstances where there are other significant demands on resources.

As regard current and further planned expansion in drug treatment services, the recent appointment of psychologists, including in the Mountjoy complex, will facilitate expansion of counselling services for prisoners with addictions. In addition, it is anticipated that a number of Addiction Counsellors will be appointed in the near future. I am currently considering further supply and demand reduction measures in context of an overall drugs policy for the Irish Prison Service.