Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Health and Children his views on the setting up of a drug treatment facility for young offenders as an alternative to prison or St. Patrick's Institution with one year in-house treatment and two years aftercare as an alternative to incarceration; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22923/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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The National Drugs Strategy (interim) 2009-2016 lists various actions under the Treatment & Rehabilitation pillar which effect young people. Actions such as early identification and referral where appropriate, to treatment services are a vital aspect of preventing young people from gravitating into the judicial system through crime. Drug intervention programmes which incorporate a treatment referral option for people who come to the attention of the Gardaí and Probation Services is also another important key action. These actions involve several agencies working together such as An Garda Síochána, The Probation Services, the HSE as well as the wider statutory, community and voluntary sectors.

As the Deputy may be aware, the HSE and a key voluntary addiction treatment service in Dublin city centre are currently piloting an arrest / treatment referral pilot for young people that come to the attention of the Gardaí and the Probation Service in an effort to redirect them out of the judicial system into treatment services. This 12 month pilot project, which has only recently been put in place, will be evaluated and the details of this evaluation will inform how services should be developed for this cohort into the future.