Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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407. To ask the Minister for Health if she will provide €1.5 million increased funding to services (details supplied) in the next budget. [22567/25]

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the Health Act 2024, as amended, the HSE is responsible for the provision of health and personal social services including residential treatment services. The HSE either provides these services directly or contracts service providers to provide them on its behalf.

Tier 4 services play an important role in delivering addiction supports in Ireland. Over the past few years, the Department of Health has invested additional resources in increasing treatment capacity. In 2023, an additional €1.8 million was made available for Tier 4 residential addiction treatment services for the purchase of additional treatment episodes across the country. This will benefit individuals requiring residential treatment.

According to 2023 National Drug Treatment Reporting System, the total number of cases treated for problem drug use was 13,104. This included 1,795 cases that received inpatient (overnight) treatment. Separately, there were 8,163 cases treated for alcohol as the main problem. Of these, 2,743 received inpatient (overnight) treatment. In total, there were over 4,500 cases of inpatient treatment for drugs or alcohol in 2023. The number of residential beds available for drug treatment services in 2023 was 1,036. It is important to note that the majority of individuals receive treatment in the community.

An additional €4.2 million was secured in Budget 2025 for new measures to implement the national drugs strategy. €2m of this funding is ringfenced for community-based drug services to meet increased treatment demand, with a focus on improving access to services in underserved communities, promoting evidence-based innovations in service design and delivery, and meeting the needs of people who use stimulant drugs, and those who have a dual diagnosis.

Discussions on the Budget and Estimates process for 2026 are expected to commence over the summer months. It is not possible to prejudge the outcome of this process and enter into any commitments in advance of its conclusion.