Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 776: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress that has been made in relation to the programme for Government proposal to expand the successful drug court programme and provide judges with the option of sentencing certain offenders to mandatory drug treatment programmes in addition to prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28631/08]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 809: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when is it intended to role out the piloted drugs courts system to other areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29082/08]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 810: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if consideration has been given to further piloting the drugs court scheme to Ballyfermot or Clondalkin, perhaps using the adjacent Cloverhill Court. [29083/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 776, 809 and 810 together.

The Drug Treatment Court, which originally operated on a pilot basis in the North inner city of Dublin, has been placed on a permanent footing and extended to the Dublin 7 area. The Court uses a multi-disciplinary approach and involves a range of Government Departments and agencies charged with dealing with various aspects of the problem of drug misuse.

The Court operates with the assistance of a team which includes the judge, a probation and welfare officer, an addiction nurse, a Garda liaison officer and education/training representative and counsellors. My Department is currently examining the operation of the court and officials are looking at best practice elsewhere to see how the Court's rather low throughput levels might be increased. Subject to the Exchequer situation, there are plans to extend the concept to the rest of the Dublin Metropolitan District Court area on a phased basis and discussions with other agencies are ongoing in this regard.

A number of sentencing options are already available to judges in relation to drug treatment. Section 99(4) of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 permits a court to suspend a prison sentence on certain conditions, some of which are mandatory while others are at the court's discretion including a condition that the person undergo appropriate treatment for drug, alcohol or substance addiction. In addition, section 28 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 permits a court to remand persons convicted of certain drug related offences and, on foot of a court ordered medical report, to arrange for the medical treatment or care of such persons.