Written answers

Thursday, 12 December 2019

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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219. To ask the Minister for Health the new schemes developed for socially and economically disadvantaged communities to provide targeted, appropriate and effective services for young persons at risk of substance misuse. [52324/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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220. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on the working group established to examine the evidence in respect of early harm reduction responses, such as drug testing, amnesty bins and media campaigns, to current and emerging trends including the use of new psychoactive substances and image and performance enhancing drugs and other high-risk behaviours. [52325/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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221. To ask the Minister for Health the action taken to date in 2019 to strengthen the implementation of the national drugs rehabilitation framework specifically with regard to developing a competency framework on key working, care planning and case management; and if the training programme on the key processes of the framework has been extended. [52326/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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222. To ask the Minister for Health the action taken to date 2019 to expand the availability and geographical spread of relevant quality drug and alcohol services and improve the range of services available based on identified need; and the way in which gaps in identifying and addressing gaps in provision within tier 1, 2, 3 and 4 services have been identified and addressed. [52327/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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224. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which the availability of opioid substitution treatments has been improved to date in 2019; and if access to same has been increased through an expansion of general practitioner prescribing, nurse-led prescribing and the provision of such treatment in community-based settings and homeless services. [52329/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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225. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which the quality and safety of care in the delivery of opioid substitution treatment has been enhanced to date in 2019; and the way in which the HSE national clinical guidelines on such treatment are being implemented and reviewed in line with national clinical effectiveness committee processes. [52330/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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226. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which relapse prevention and aftercare drug treatment services have been improved to date in 2019. [52331/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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227. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which the range of progression options for recovering drug users has been increased to date in 2019; and if a new programme of supported care and employment has been developed. [52332/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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229. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which maternity hospitals and units have strengthened their methods of detecting alcohol abuse and supporting women to reduce their intake. [52334/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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230. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which links between maternity services and addiction services have been strengthened to date in 2019. [52335/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Minister for Health if the need for additional residential placements for pregnant and postnatal women who need inpatient treatment for addiction to drugs and or alcohol nationwide has been quantified; and if so, the action being taken as a result. [52336/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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232. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which he has resourced the national women and infants health programme to provide drug liaison midwives and specialist medical social workers in maternity networks. [52337/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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233. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which he is increasing the range of wrap-around community and DATFs residential services equipped to meet the needs of women who are using drugs and or alcohol in a harmful manner including those with children and those that are pregnant. [52338/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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234. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which he is developing interventions to address gender and cultural specific risk factors for not taking up treatment for drug addiction. [52339/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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235. To ask the Minister for Health the assessment being made of the need for the development of specialist services to meet the needs of older persons with long-term substance use issues. [52340/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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237. To ask the Minister for Health the number of additional detoxification, stabilisation and rehabilitation beds provided to date in 2019. [52342/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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238. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which needle exchange programmes have been expanded to date in 2019. [52343/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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240. To ask the Minister for Health if he will report on the development of an overdose prevention strategy. [52345/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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241. To ask the Minister for Health the actions he has taken to date in 2019 to build capacity within drug and alcohol services to develop a patient safety approach in line with the HIQA National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare 2012. [52346/19]

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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242. To ask the Minister for Health if each hospital emergency department includes the monitoring of attendances as a result of alcohol and drugs use in its electronic patient system. [52347/19]

Photo of Catherine ByrneCatherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 219 to 222, inclusive, 224 to 227, inclusive, 229 to 235, inclusive, 237, 238 and 240 to 242, inclusive, together.

Government policy in relation to drug and alcohol addiction services is set out in the national drugs strategy, 'Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery-a health led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025'. It identifies 50 strategic actions to be delivered between mid 2017 (when the strategy was launched) and end 2020.

The strategy is a dynamic process, that is monitored through the key national, regional and local structures charged with implementing the strategy. Each year the bodies responsible for delivering the strategic actions are required to report on progress.

The progress report for 2019 will be presented to the national oversight committee for the drugs strategy in February 2020. Subsequently, the report will be published on the department's website.

As the Deputy's questions relate to the progress on a number of the actions in the strategy, I will forward to him the 2019 progress report in due course.

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