Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 87: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans for the future of the drugs court; his assessment of the performance of the court to date; if the catchment area for participation on the court's programme can be extended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28334/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I recently published a Review of the Drug Treatment Court which, amongst other key issues, specifically addressed the questions raised by the Deputy. The findings of the Review suggest that participants who engage with the Drug Treatment Court programme have reduced rates of recidivism and improved health, education and social skills which impact positively on the participants and the community. However the Review did concur with my own view that the very low throughput of participants is an issue. I am pleased therefore, that the Report identified a number of recommendations designed to improve the programme's throughput and effectiveness. The Report, which is available on my Department's website, also includes a recommendation that "Existing catchment area boundaries should be removed on a phased basis". Based on the findings of the Review it is intended that the Drug Treatment Court will continue its operations for a further two years.