Home > Dail Eireann debate. Written answers 409 & 410 - National Drugs Strategy implementation. [43176/14].

[Oireachtas] Dail Eireann debate. Written answers 409 & 410 - National Drugs Strategy implementation. [43176/14]. (11 Nov 2014)

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409. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the Health Service Executive’s consideration in the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 of adoption of a standard definition and national protocol concerning waiting times for opiate treatment with a view to ensuring a comprehensive data system is in place to monitor the progress of opiate treatment service provision. [43176/14]

410. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the plans by the Health Service Executive, as outlined in the National Drugs Strategy 2009 - 2016, to review the issue of data collection and analysis with a view to developing a more comprehensive data system for management and research purposes to address the particular difficulty with a lack of available data on the length of time people are remaining on methadone.  [43177/14]

Minister for Health (Deputy Leo Varadkar): I propose to take Questions Nos. 409 and 410 together.

In September 2013, the HSE developed Guidelines and Procedures for the National Waiting List for Treatment of Opiate Addiction. The purpose of these guidelines and procedures is to provide a standardised methodology for the collection and recording of data on the national waiting list for treatment of opiate addiction. The HSE has advised that the Guidelines can be used for performance indicator recording into the future. The criteria includes validation between the different waiting lists and the Central Treatment List. The Central Treatment List provides data on retention rates and on the length of time people are remaining on methadone. My Department will forward a copy of the National Waiting List Guidelines and Procedures document to the Deputy for his information.

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