Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 355: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of specialist staff involved in drug prevention and treatment in each Irish prison; if he will provide a breakdown of their area of expertise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36423/05]

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 356: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if there are vacancies within the Irish Prison Service in respect of specialist staff for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse; the length of time such posts have been vacant; when they will be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36424/05]

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 357: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the additional measures and staffing resources he intends to put in place to deal with drug abuse treatment within the Irish Prison Service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36425/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 355 to 357, inclusive, together.

There is currently a range of measures employed in the Irish Prison Service with the aim of eliminating both the supply of and the demand for drugs within the prison system. These include education, treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicted offenders.

Drug treatment services for prisoners involve a significant multi-dimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and visiting statutory and non-statutory organisations. These programmes and interventions are delivered on an individual and co-ordinated basis by the psychology service, probation and welfare service, prison education service and prison officers. Particular initiatives put in place include drug misuse awareness programmes, support programmes and other appropriate health interventions, substitution therapies, vaccination programmes and treatment for viral illnesses. In addition, the Irish Prison Service provides prisoners with a range of opportunities to encourage them to adopt a drug-free lifestyle, 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 appointed by the Health Service Executive, additional psychologists and a probation and welfare service team led by a senior probation and welfare officer.

In addition, many new health care staff such as a co-ordinator of prison nursing and 84 additional professional nurses have been appointed in the Irish Prison Service in recent years, as well as consultant psychiatrist in addictions sessions allocated by relevant Health Service Executive areas. However, it is accepted that the difficulties in appointing particular specialist staffing — for example, addiction counsellors — have arisen and have impacted on recruitment. These difficulties are being resolved and will allow further appointments to be made.

Given the diverse range of general and specialist services providing drug treatment, which are not funded by my Department, and the fact that many of the prison employed staff carry out drug treatment work as part of a wide range of interventions, it is not possible to readily estimate the exact number of individuals who could be referred to as working entirely in the drug treatment area.

I have recently held a seminar for prison governors on the new drugs policy for the Irish Prison Service, which I will publish in the coming weeks. This policy when implemented will bring a renewed focus on improving the organisational arrangements both within prisons and between prisons and the community to offer prisoners a more coherent and joined-up service. An underlying aim of the new policy is the operation of all programmes within a coherent policy framework, understood and supported by all agencies involved in drug treatment within the prison system. Such coherence is critical to the successful development of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment process which would assist in matching prisoners to the most effective and appropriate treatments and interventions available; the development of individualised programme plans for prisoners having due regard to their particular circumstances; and making provision for continuity of post-release treatment, care and support services.

In addition to these new arrangements which are focused on improving the manner in which treatment services are organised, the new policy will involve the implementation of a range of new supply elimination measures such as mandatory drug testing, new visiting arrangements and the introduction of drug detection dogs.