Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 612: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the estimated number of people who have developed a drug addiction while in custody of the Irish Prison Services in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31022/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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It is extremely difficult to quantify the level of illegal drugs consumed by prisoners while in custody, particularly given the extremely covert nature of illicit drug supply and use in a custodial setting. It is therefore not possible to estimate the number of prisoners who may have developed a drug addiction while imprisoned. However, an independent study by the Health Research Board titled; "Drug Use Among Prisoners: An Exploratory Study", which was published in 2001 stated that: "Overall, research carried out in other European countries has found little evidence of prisoners' being initiated into their first use of illicit substances while in prison, although it has been cited as an issue of concern. Only one respondent in the current sample reported that he had been initiated into his first ever use of an illicit drug while in prison". On this basis, the Report concluded that "initiation into drug use in the prison setting was rare".

The Irish Prison Service continues to take firm steps to eliminate the supply of drugs into prisons as well as enhancing the range of treatment options for those who are already addicted to drugs. Drugs awareness courses and other interventions to highlight the detrimental effects of drug use and encourage prisoners to adopt or maintain a drug free lifestyle are also provided.