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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Feb 1998

Vol. 486 No. 6

Written Answers. - Prison Drug Treatment Facilities.

Jack Wall

Ceist:

121 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the plans, if any, he has to expand the provision of drug treatment facilities in the prison services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3201/98]

As I have said before I believe that the most effective strategy in dealing with drug addicted offenders is a combination of appropriate treatment, education and rehabilitation. To this end there are specially designed information programmes addressing the risks associated with the misuse of drugs in place in all of our prisons. The majority of offenders with drugs problems are located in institutions in the Dublin area and in particular in Mountjoy Prison.

A detoxification programme has been in operation in Mountjoy Prison's health care unit for some time. This programme is operated by the medical personnel in the prison and is aimed at weaning addicts off drugs by means of gradually reducing dosages of substitutes such as methadone. The programme is modelled on similar hospital based units in the community.
The medical treatment of drug addicts, in common with the provision of all medical services in the prisons system, is co-ordinated by the director of prison medical services. The director liaises regularly with the health boards in order to try to ensure a level of primary health care for prisoners which is equivalent to that available in the community. Developments in medical services for drug addicts in the community are closely monitored with a view to their application in prisons where practicable. In this regard I am pleased to note that there has been an ongoing high degree of co-operation between the Eastern Health Board, including the agencies under its aegis, and my Department.
I hope that this co-operation between the prisons and the Eastern Health Board, in the interest of tackling this community-wide problem, will continue and, where feasible, expand. In this regard the Eastern Health Board's consultant psychiatrists with responsibility for drug misuse who provide sessions in Mountjoy have been in discussion with officials of my Department, including the director of prison medical services, and the Governor of Mountjoy Prison, with a view to extending and improving the drug treatment services provided to prisoners including, where appropriate, methadone maintenance. Similar developments are envisaged in relation to tackling the drug problem in other prisons where the need is established.
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