Vol. 509 No. 4
235 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on whether the methadone maintenance programme to treat heroin addiction should be reviewed (details supplied) in view of criticism from some quarters; if the establishment of a limited timescale is desirable for the duration of methadone treatment of individual addicts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20590/99]
Irish Government policy in drug misuse is that a wide range of treatment options should be provided, including methadone treatment, detoxification and other programmes aimed at those addicted to drugs, especially people who are addicted to heroin. Methadone maintenance is internationally recognised as a valid and successful part of an integrated response to the drug problem. It has also been shown that it is possible to reduce the antisocial behaviour of intravenous drug users by taking them into treatment on methadone maintenance programmes.
The 1998 report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction on "The State of the Drugs Problem in the European Union" noted that substitution treatment is the most evaluated field of drug demand reduction, with generally positive results including increases in employment, improvement in emotional status, physical appearance, health, family and social relations, finances and vocational skills, with reduction in criminality, debts and heroin use. Generally also, HIV patients comply with monitoring and treatment. In all member states in 1997 a total of 265,664 people were on substitution treatment, mainly methadone. The value of such programmes is that they can stabilise the often chaotic lifestyles of drug misusers and thus begin to influence their behaviour. This in turn can have major benefits for the drug misuser's health and welfare and also for their families, friends and society in general.
