Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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507. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners who were on waiting lists to access addiction services at the end of 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6841/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Prison Service engages Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) to provide a prison-based addiction counselling service across the entire Irish Prison Service estate (with the exception of Arbour Hill Prison where there is no clinical need for such a service in that prison). The addiction counselling service includes structured assessments and evidence-based counselling interventions, with clearly-defined treatment plans and goals.

The MQI service provides a range of counselling and intervention skills related to substance misuse and dependency. These skills include, motivational interviewing and enhancement therapy, a twelve step facilitation programme, cognitive behavioural therapy and harm reduction approaches. Prisoners are offered one to one counselling and group work interventions.

In 2022 MQI completed a total of 13,241 client interventions. This total was made up of 9,017 Counselling Sessions, 2,505 Brief Interventions, 814 Group Assessments and 905 Assessments. The most recently available figures from January 2023 show there were 262 referrals made to Prison addiction services.

The Irish Prison Service and MQI prioritize those prisoners that are in greatest clinical need and will work closely together as part of a multi-disciplinary team to manage the waiting list with team leaders reviewing caseloads with each counsellor monthly to ensure that cases are closing appropriately. Prisoners who are closer to release are prioritised and MQI try to identify available services in the community in order that there is continuity of care.

The information requested by the Deputy on the number of prisoners who were on waiting lists to access addiction services at the end of 2022 is set out by prison in the table below.