Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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830. To ask the Minister for Health if an organisation (details supplied) or its affiliate organisations has been granted certification, accreditation or a licence by organisations under the direction of his Department to deliver health, education or addiction programmes; and if the organisation must have certification, accreditation or a licence to deliver health, education or addiction services here. [54980/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The advice of my Department would be that anyone seeking treatment for addiction should contact their local HSE addiction service.

The Department has no jurisdiction over agencies that provide private addiction services. There is currently no provision in legislation for the regulation or inspection of residential treatment or rehabilitation centres specialising in addiction.

Organisations which provide addiction services and are funded by the HSE are required to meet minimum standards in the delivery of services across a range of criteria which form the basis of any service level agreement.

There is no evidence to suggest that the drug treatment programme, provided by the organisation referred to by the Deputy, would meet any of the criteria set out by the HSE for agencies that provide addiction services in its behalf.

That organisation's drug treatment programme comprises a series of interventions with limited or no basis in a scientific understanding of human physiology and brain functioning.