Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the evidence upon which he is implementing mandatory drug testing in prisons when the Scottish prison service has indicated it is cancelling its mandatory testing programme as MDT is not working, is encouraging rather than deterring heroin use among prisoners, is increasing tensions between staff and prisoners, and is discouraging drug users accessing drug treatment programmes. [18878/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The programme for Government gave a commitment to tackling the issue of drug use in Irish prisons. This includes treatment and rehabilitation, supply reduction and the introduction of mandatory drug testing. I am satisfied that mandatory drug testing can play an important role in the overall strategy for tackling the scourge of drug use among prisoners. Mandatory drug testing will provide information on trends in drug misuse, enable the identification and referral of drug abusers to treatment programmes, enable enhanced focusing of resources and act as a deterrent to drug misuse. Mandatory drug testing will also provide important information to prison management that will contribute significantly to decision-making in relation to the management of individual prisoners sentences.

Without this basic information, planning for treatment can never be as focused as it should be and resources can never be effectively targeted. The introduction of mandatory drug testing will allow the Irish Prison Service to deploy its resources in the most rational and productive manner.