Fergus O'Dowd
Question:231 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will extend the jurisdiction of the drug court to other parts of Dublin City; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13143/03]
Written Answers. - Drug Courts.
The pilot drug court programme, which was confined to Dublin's north inner city, was launched by the Courts Service in the Dublin District Court on 9 January 2001 for a period of 18 months.
The pilot has been evaluated by expert consultants who recommended that the pilot project be extended and expanded with the concurrent development of a drug court planning programme over the next 12 to 18 months. The expert consultants also recommended that the catchment area be widened to include the Dublin 7 area for the period of the extended pilot project. This will provide for an emphasis on the research and development activity necessary to roll-out the drug court more widely while continuing and expanding the current pilot to further test and refine the emerging model and to address difficulties which have been identified.
I welcomed the recommendations contained in the report and I supported the extension of the drug court to the full Dublin 7 catchment area which will allow time for further consideration, in consultation with the relevant Departments and agencies, of how the drug court concept should be further developed and resourced.