Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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2034. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware of recent data indicating a rise in illicit drug use across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47110/25]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Health actively monitors data on the nature and extent of drug use, so that policies can be put in place to provide appropriate services and treatments.

The National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) is the national surveillance system that records and reports on cases of drug and alcohol treatment in Ireland. It is compiled annually to provide data to inform services delivery.

The Health Research Board published the 2024 data from the NDTRS in May 2025. These show a record figure of 13,295 cases treated for problem drug use. This continues the upward trend in treatment cases with an increase of 50% in cases since 2017 and demonstrates the impact of the National Drugs Strategy Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery 2017-2025 in enhancing access to drug services.

The data show that the demand for drug treatment is across all regions of the country, all age groups, men and women, people with children and those without, and those who are unemployed as well those in employment.

Drug services are responding to in a dynamic and flexible way to changing patters of drug use and demonstrating their responsiveness to increased demands :

Budget 2025 provided an additional €4.2m to expand community-based drug and alcohol 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.

This includes additional €1.89 million in recurring funding to further enhance community-based drug services. (For more details, see Minister Murnane O’Connor announces €1.89 million funding for community-based drugs services)

This funding represents another practical step in our efforts to strengthen the health-led response to drug use by enhancing access and delivery of drug services in the community, in line with the national drugs strategy. The additional funding meets the Programme for Government commitment to ‘increase funding for drug addiction services including local drug and alcohol taskforces to improve their effectiveness’. It also aligns with the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use."

I believe that making drug treatment services available as part of primary care will reduce the stigma of drug use and to meet the diverse health needs of people using drugs.