I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 197 together.
Government policy in relation to drugs emphasises the need to provide opportunities for people to move on from illicit drug use to a drug-free life where that is achievable. However, every person with a drug problem has their own individual needs and their own personal goals for recovery.
An Expert Group, set up by my Department in 2006, examined the regulatory framework required to facilitate the prescribing, dispensing and supply of buprenorphine/naloxone and buprenorphine-only products as alternatives to methadone. In 2011, this Group concluded that methadone is the drug of first choice in the treatment of opioid dependency, but that buprenorphine/naloxone may be more appropriate for particular cohorts of clients.
The HSE established an Opioid Substitution Implementation Group in June 2013 to develop a plan for facilitating the wider availability of buprenorphine/naloxone and buprenorphine-only products as alternatives to methadone. The Group submitted a draft report to the Director General of the HSE on 4 June 2015. The Group is expected to report to the Minister of Health shortly.