Jim Mitchell
Question:11 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice the number of offenders in prisons and places of detention who take prescribed drugs for sleeping on a regular basis.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prisoners' Prescribed Tranquillisers.
Mary Flaherty
Question:12 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Justice the number of offenders in prisons and places of detention who take prescribed tranquillising drugs.
I propose to take Question NOs. 11 and 12 together.
The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and could not be obtained without the expenditure of scarce staff time which, I am satisfied, would not be warranted.
Is it reasonable to suggest that a large number of prisoners take sleeping tablets? Are the Minister and the prison authorities concerned that such prisoners may develop a dependency on drugs which will create problems for them, not only in prison but long term when they leave? Will she assure the House that prescribing drugs of that kind for prisoners will be kept under review in keeping with good medical practice?
The Deputy need have no worries that what is accepted as good medical practice in the outside world is also enforced within the prison system. I would have the same concerns as Deputy Mitchell that anybody, in prison or outside, who is prescribed sleeping tablets over a long period of time might develop a dependency on them and I would be concerned if the medical system operated within the prison contributed to that. It behoves all of us to leave it to the absolute discretion of the medical authorities within the prison, namely the doctors, in their doctor-client relationship to decide the best medication for a prisoner.
Will the Minister agree that while it is a medical matter between the doctor and the patient as to what is prescribed, if 90 per cent of prisoners are on sleeping tablets it would be a matter of policy which would be of great concern to this House? I do not suggest 90 per cent of prisoners are on sleeping tablets, I do not know the percentage but I ask the Minister to arrange for statistics to be kept to determine if there is a problem in this area. With the best will in the world people can slip into practices and follow those which may have been used in the past. I ask that machinery be put in place so that such information can be made available to Members as this matter has been raised by two other Deputies who have tabled questions today. I do not know if there is a problem but if there is, I would like the Minister to have a measure of it and to put machinery in place to ensure that such statistics will be available in the future.
The difficulty about doing what Deputy Mitchell requests, which is probably a good thing, is that because those matters are confidential between the doctor and the patient, the patient's consent is required before such statistical information could be kept. It would be similar to the relationship between a doctor and a patient who is not a prisoner which must be confidential. We must have confidence in the professional competence of the prison doctors that they will only prescribe sleeping tablets as and when, in their professional judgment, they are required by the prisoner concerned.
I do not want to labour this, but during the years we were told that doctors dealing with patients in mental hospitals knew best and the best approach was to quieten down patients. I would be concerned if there is difficulty in this area. I am not raising concerns, I am looking for information and I am concerned it is not available. Without interfering with the doctor-patient relationship some system should be found to compile statistics in general and we should know whether 10, 20, 40 or 80 per cent of prisoners take sleeping tablets on a regular basis. If a sizeable percentage do it indicates an underlying problem which we need to address.
I would have the same concerns as Deputy Mitchell if I thought a sizeable percentage of the prison population or specifically in any one prison was taking sleeping tablets on a regular basis. Within the confines of confidentiality between doctor and patient I will discuss with the professionals whether there is a way of keeping a record in this area. I would not hold out much hope but, in advance of speaking with the professionals, I cannot say whether it is possible to do it.
Will the Minister agree that, whether prescribed or illegal, drugs are a serious problem in our prisons? Will she agree that this is linked to the fact that 80 per cent of prisoners in Mountjoy do nothing all day but wait for their next fix? There is no incentive for them to take part in any of the available activities. Will the Minister undertake to review the question of incentives for prisoners, particularly those in Mountjoy, to take up some of the options which are available by way of work, recreation or education? Would she agree with remarks made recently at the Garda conference and at the prison officers' conference that it is humane to leave prisoners in a situation where they are just walking around in a state of intoxication?
The review has been in progress for some time. It has been completed and the report is almost ready for publication. In the course of the debate on that review there will be an opportunity for all Members to give their views and, perhaps, recommend changes. One of the points looked at carefully in that review is the question of drugs and drug dependency among prisoners.