Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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181. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 653 of 7 July 2020, if she will provide the most up-to-date data. [13857/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the traditional manner of service delivery by psychology and addiction professionals in prisons have been impacted.

Engagement by services with prisoners has been impacted due to the implementation of essential infection control and operational regimes to keep prisoners and staff safe. This has required the development of new ways of working to support prisoners. Both services have adapted working arrangements to respond innovatively to supporting prisoners by introducing a blended model of working which facilitates prisoner engagement with practitioners employing a combination of mediums including telephony, video link and one to one contact, where deemed clinically necessary. However, notwithstanding this, service delivery is constrained and has resulted in a reduction of sessions delivered by Psychology and Addiction Services.

In respect of the Psychology Service, individual sessions increased in 2020 compared to 2019 by over 13% but group sessions decreased by 60%. The Sex-Offender Treatment programme has also been significantly delayed. Merchants Quay Ireland have witnessed a 24% decrease in client interventions in 2020 compared to 2019.

The provision of the Psychology Service places an emphasis on mental health and personality disorder presentations, risk presentations (self and others), and trauma-informed approaches. Psychological interventions include both individual and group based approaches and are provided through a Stepped Model of Care.

The Irish Prison Service Psychology Service also provides a critical role in support, consultation, education and training to the broader Prison Service organisation. This includes consultation with senior management in relation to very complex psychological and risk-related presentations and Recruit Prison Officer Training.

The Prison Service Psychology Service operates an open referral policy, meaning the service will accept referrals from all sources. The vast majority of referrals into the Psychology Service are in relation to any, or a combination of the following:

Mental health difficulties including, but not exclusive to: Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Disorders of Personality and Behaviour, (complex) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Self-Harm and Suicidal Behaviours, Eating Disorders, Psychosis and Schizophrenia; and

Risk-related presentations including: need for a strengths, needs and risk assessment of the various factors including violence or other anti­social behaviour (past or present), relationship difficulties, employment difficulties, substance misuse, that culminated in the perpetration of an offence (and those factors that support desistance), preparation of Parole Board reports, risk-related intervention by addressing the underlying risk factors that increase the likelihood that an individual will become a victim or a perpetrator of violence, complex case and risk management consultation.

The number of prisoners waiting to access prison psychology services as of 9th March 2021, is set out in Table 1.

Table 1. Psychology Service current waiting list 9th March 2021.

Since 2007, the Prison Service has engaged Merchant's Quay Ireland to develop and deliver an effective prison-based Addiction Counselling Service. MQI operate in all prisons except Arbour Hill as, given prisoner profile, there is minimal demand required for drug addiction counselling services at that location.

Addiction counsellors offer counselling, group work and advice with a focus on harm reduction and developing care plans for post-release. The teams work closely with other disciplines, with the clients' consent, to provide a comprehensive set of interventions.

Many prisoners can use their time in custody to identify their underlying issues relating to their drug use and offending behaviour and with appropriate intervention, time can be spent addressing their issues and planning a more positive future for themselves, their family and community. Counsellors can be accessed directly in each prison or through any Irish Prison Service healthcare team member.

The number of prisoners waiting to access Addiction Counselling Services as of 1st March 2021, is set out in Table 2.

Table 2. Waiting List for Drug Addiction Counselling Services 1st March, 2021