Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1089.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the IPS carried out adequate best practices to prevent the recent spate of overdoses in a facility (details supplied) and if measures have been taken to prevent such an event reoccurring.[34436/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Preventing access to contraband into prisons continues to be a high priority for the Irish Prison Service.

It is estimated that up to 70% of the people in custody have addiction issues and the reality is that those with active addiction continue their drug-seeking behaviour inside prison notwithstanding the supports that are available to address their addiction.

The Irish Prison Service provides a health care service for people with addictions in a structured, safe and professional way in line with international best practice. The Irish Prison Service continues to be committed to, and involved with, the National Drugs Strategy.

The Irish Prison Service is always alert to the dangers posed by illicit substances within the prison environment and, as well as using technological, structural, intelligence and more routine operational methods to prevent contraband entering prisons, engages in awareness campaigns directed at those in custody. This includes direct clinical engagement with healthcare personnel, the use of the peer to peer Irish Red Cross Community Based Health & First Aid Programmes, the use of the internal TV channel, signage and direct cell drop leaflet campaigns.

In addition to this, the Irish Prison Service in partnership with the HSE and the Irish Red Cross launched a life-saving initiative to combat opioid overdoses among prisoners in August of 2023. This joint initiative focused on raising awareness among prisoners, as well as their family members and friends, about the risk factors leading to opioid overdoses. Central to this initiative is the promotion of naloxone, a drug that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

The Irish Prison Service published its own Drugs Strategy on 29 November 2023, setting out a series of goals to work towards reducing the harm of substance abuse in a prison environment. However, in order to meaningfully tackle the issue of substances abuse in prisons, the Irish Prison Service must work in partnership with all agencies across the criminal justice sector, additional support agencies that are active in Irish prisons, and relevant community-based organisations to achieve the goals of this strategy together.

In 2024, the Irish Prison Service has re-energised a full programme of random and intelligence-led operational drug testing for prisoners. Over 150 prison staff have completed training with a new supplier and weekly targets for minimum random drug testing have been agreed. The on-site drug testing can detect a range of drugs with instant results supported by secondary laboratory testing where the initial result is inconclusive.

I can also inform the Deputy, that the Irish Prison Service is working with contracted partners and the HSE to source further drug testing capability with a particular eye on the emerging trend towards the availability of more harmful synthetic drugs. The Irish Prison Service will continue to set targets to research, review and enhance methods to tackle the problem of substance abuse and the prevailing demand for harmful drugs in the prison environment.

The Irish Prison Service also continues to engage with An Garda Síochána at both local and national level with regard to preventing contraband entering our prisons. There is a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (086 180 2449) which is operational and people in custody, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of prohibited items into prisons can pass on that information in the strictest confidence.