Home > Dail Eireann debate. Written answer 947 - Prison drug treatment services.

[Oireachtas] Dail Eireann debate. Written answer 947 - Prison drug treatment services. (29 Sep 2010)

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947. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the number of prisoners in receipt of methadone treatment in each prison; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Justice and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern): It may assist the Deputy and the House if I set out current policy in this area. The Irish Prison Service continues to work to implement its Drugs Policy & Strategy, entitled Keeping Drugs Out of Prison, which was launched in May 2006 using a number of stands. Firstly, through the implementation of stringent measures to prevent drugs from getting into prisons; and secondly, by continuing to invest in services within prisons to reduce the demand for illicit drugs in the prisoner population as well as meeting prisoners’ treatment and rehabilitative needs. Of particular significance is that now any person entering prison giving a history of opiate use and testing positive for opioids is offered a medically assisted symptomatic detoxification if clinically indicated. Patientscan, as part of the assessment process, discuss with healthcare staff other treatment options.
 
These may include stabilization on methadone maintenance for persons who wish to continue on maintenance while in prison and when they return to the community on release. Prisoners who on committal are engaged in a methadone substitution programme in the community will in the main have their methadone substitution treatment continued while in custody. As the Deputy may be aware methadone substitution treatment is available in 8 out of the 14 prisons (accommodating over 75% of the prison population) in the prison estate. The table below shows the number of patients who received opiate substitution treatment with methadone during August 2010 which includes detox, maintenance and stabilisation.
 
Prisons
Total patients during August 2010
Cloverhill Prison
172
Dochas Centre
65
Limerick Prison
26
Midlands Prison
68
Mountjoy Prison
249
Portlaoise Prison
24
St Patrick’s Institution
1
Wheatfield Prison
98
TOTALS
703
 
Vol. 716 No. 1
Written Answers – Prison Drug Treatment Services
29 September 2010

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