Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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168. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality why a person (details supplied) has been waiting for eight months on remand in a prison (details supplied) to find out if he is entitled to drug treatment. [21091/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have been advised by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) that the objective of healthcare within the IPS is to provide prisoners with access to the same quality and range of health services as available to persons entitled to General Medical Services in the community.

Any person on committal to prison providing a history of illicit substance misuse and testing positive for opioids is offered a medically assisted symptomatic detoxification for operational reasons. Patients can, as part of the assessment process, discuss other treatment options with healthcare staff; those options may include stabilisation on methadone maintenance for persons who wish to continue on maintenance while in prison and when they return to the community on release.

Persons in custody presenting with addiction issues have access to specialist addiction services, and are actively encouraged to engage with those services.

I can advise the deputy that the IPS have confirmed that the person referred to is receiving appropriate medical treatment in the Midlands Prison.