Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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28. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the final report and implementation plan of the high-level task force on diversion have been completed and published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35909/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, considerable progress has been made on the Programme for Government commitment to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of those imprisoned, and primary care support on release.

Last April, I, together with the Minister for Health and Ministers of State Frank Feighan and Mary Butler, established a High Level Taskforce to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of persons interacting with the criminal justice system. The Taskforce is independently chaired by former Minister of State Kathleen Lynch.

The Taskforce already held ten plenary meetings and established three subgroups on diversion, capacity issues in the Prison Service and National Forensic Mental Health Services, and community issues, including care after release. Each of the subgroups comprises relevant experts, chaired by high ranking officials from the criminal justice sector, with the health leads represented and contributing to all. Each of these subgroups have met on at least twelve occasions.

The Taskforce has engaged with a large number of relevant bodies and civil society actors, including meeting with the Mental Health Commission on 2 December 2021 and with the Chairperson of the National Prison Visiting Committees Chairpersons Group and with the Inspector of Prisons.

The Taskforce has also received presentations from relevant stakeholders including the Mental Health Commission, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, the Irish Penal Reform Trust and Crowe Consulting on the comprehensive Health Needs Assessment embarked on by the Prison Service.

A key commitment of the terms of reference of the Taskforce is the delivery of a high-level implementation plan for any required actions arising from the groups work. The Taskforce has taken three thematic focuses which it considers capture the entirety of an individual’s interactions with the criminal justice system. These are: diversion of individuals with mental health difficulties and addiction/dual diagnosis issues away from the criminal justice system; the capacity of the Prison Service and the National Forensic Mental Health Service; and community issues including through care from custody.

In examining issues and performance across each of these themes, the Taskforce hopes to be able to make positive changes at each point, before formal engagement in the criminal system, supporting rehabilitation of those in custody and ensuring the most successful reintegration into society.

The Taskforce submitted its interim report on 22 November 2021. The final report, including a high level implementation plan assigning responsibility and timelines for its recommendations, will be finalised and published shortly.