855. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice if, following the recommendation of the Citizens Assembly on drugs, her Department and the Irish Prison Service will develop and fund enhanced prison-based addiction treatment services. [48481/23]

Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice: The Irish Prison Service provides a health care service for people with addictions on a structured, safe and professional basis in line with international best practice. The Irish Prison Service continues to be committed to, and involved with, the National Drugs Strategy in partnership with community colleagues and organisations.

The recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Drugs have been of specific interest to the Irish Prison Service, especially where the recommendations apply to people in custody. It is recognised that prisons are an important component of the overall response to problems associated with addiction in Irish society. The prison environment provides a unique opportunity to support individuals to address addiction and co-occurring needs, and therefore it is vital to have a range of treatment and intervention options available to ensure the best possibility of a positive outcome.

In fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment, the Final Report and Recommendations of the High Level Task Force considered the mental health and addiction challenges of those who come into contact with the criminal justice sector. This was published in September 2022. This report identifies over 60 recommendations, including that the IPS and the HSE work together on the development of a dual diagnosis service within prisons. It is recommended that an interdepartmental group involving the Department of Justice, the IPS, the HSE and other relevant stakeholders be established to explore the options of establishing dual diagnosis services in Irish prisons and the development of a clear pathway for this. This is in line with recommendations within the HSE's 'Model of Care' for People with Mental Disorder and Co-existing Substance Use Disorder (Dual Diagnosis). I am informed that specific business cases seeking additional funds to enhance prison-based addiction and further enable dual diagnosis treatment services will be submitted as part of future estimates asks.

With regard to current approaches, I am advised that in excess of €1.5 million of the prisoner healthcare budget is spent each year on addiction treatment across the prison estate. This includes the funding of an addiction counselling service provided by Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI). The services provided by MQI in Irish prisons include structured assessments and evidence based counselling interventions with clearly defined treatment plans and goals. MQI provide a range of counselling and intervention skills related to substance misuse and dependency. These skills include motivational interviewing and enhancement therapy and harm reduction approaches. Prisoners are offered one to one counselling and group work interventions. MQI also provide a Treatment and Rehabilitation Programme (TARP) in Mountjoy Prison. The mission of this six-week programme is to provide more intensive recovery support.

In line with one of the key recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Drugs, the Irish Prison Service currently provides trauma-informed training to Recruit Prison Officers. The expected learning outcomes for this training include the ability to describe psychological trauma, symptoms of psychological trauma and how trauma occurs and to develop a trauma informed understanding of the pathways to offending and desistance.

Outside traditional healthcare and addiction counselling provision, the Irish Prison Service is currently exploring how 'Recovery College' and 'Recovery Academy' might work together within prison settings to support prisoners with addictions and dual diagnosis, and is also working with Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to support the maintenance of both programmes across the prison estate.