157. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Justice the number of prisoners who are addicted; and the number of full-time addiction nurses are there employed in Mountjoy Prison. [39472/24]

165. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of full-time addiction nurses employed, solely for the purpose of the role of addiction nurse, in the Irish Prison Service in the years 2017 to 2024 inclusive respectively, in tabular form. [39412/24]

Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice: I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 165 together.

I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service employs nurses across the prison estate to provide primary care to the prison population and work as part of the prison healthcare team.

The Irish Prison Service does not currently employ full-time Addiction Nurses. There are, however, a number of primary care nurses who are assigned the function of carrying out specialist addiction assessments when this is feasible taking account of the operational demands of the prison.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Irish Prison Service engages Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) to provide a prison-based addiction counselling service across the entire Irish Prison Service estate (with the exception of Arbour Hill Prison and the Training Unit where the clinical need is currently under review).

The MQI service provides a range of counselling and intervention skills related to substance misuse and dependency. These skills include motivational interviewing and enhancement therapy, a twelve step facilitation programme, cognitive behavioural therapy and harm reduction approaches and people in custody are offered one to one counselling and group work interventions.

Furthermore, the Deputy may wish to know that the Irish Prison Service has recently employed a national lead to oversee the provision of Mental Health and Addiction in Irish prisons.

I can also advise the Deputy that preventing access to contraband into prisons continues to be a high priority for the Irish Prison Service. The prison environment mirrors the same range of activity and challenges arising in many communities grappling with the scourge of harmful drug use. A significantly high proportion of prisoners, approximately 80%, are committed to custody with addiction issues. The Irish Prison Service published a new Drugs Strategy on 29 November 2023, setting out clear measures to be taken by the Prison Service to tackle the problem of illicit drug use over the next three years.

See also, similar question on 1 October 2024: Dáil Éireann debate. Question 333 – Prison service [38670/24]

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Dáil Éireann debate. Question 167 – Prison service [39414/24]

167. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of deaths in Irish prisons in each of the past five years; the number of these found to be drug overdose at inquest or review; and the number where drugs was referenced in either report [39414/24]

Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice: I can advise the Deputy that all deaths in custody are notified to An Garda Síochána, who investigate where circumstances warrant, in addition to the inquest held in the Coroner's Court. The cause of death is determined by a jury on the basis of the information presented to the Coroner's Court.

All deaths in custody, and deaths that occur within one month of temporary release, are also subject to an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons.

The Irish Prison Service is not advised by the Coroner whether the death was attributable to a drug overdose and the table below classifies the causes of death as determined by the coroner, where applicable. It also gives the number of people who died while in Prison in each of the last five years and to date in 2024.

Table: Deaths in Custody 2019 to 30 September 2024 inclusive classified by cause of death as determined by Coroner:

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Dáil Éireann debate. Question 168 – Prison service [39415/24]

168. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of wings for people in recovery in each prison; and whether these wings are maintained given prison overcrowding, in tabular form. [39415/24]

Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice: I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service offers multidimensional drug rehabilitation programmes for people in custody with access to a range of medical and rehabilitative services, such as methadone substation treatment, psycho social services, and ‘work and training’ options which assist in addressing their substance misuse.

The Irish Prison Service Drugs Strategy 2023-2026 aims at reducing the harm caused by substance abuse within the prison environment by building upon the commitments of the Irish Prison Service, Keeping Drugs Out of Prison Strategy, the new drugs strategy provides practical measures to be implemented by the Irish Prison Service in addressing the issue of illicit drug use over the next three years.

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. Patients can discuss other treatment options with healthcare staff. These may include stabilisation on methadone maintenance for those who wish to continue on maintenance while in prison and when they return to the community on release. People who, on committal to prison, are engaged in a methadone substitution programme in the community will, in the main, have their methadone substitution treatment continued while in prison. Methadone substitution treatment is available in 9 of the 13 prisons which accommodate over 80% of the prison population.

There are currently no formal recovery wings across the Irish Prison Service Estate, however there are a number of units which serve to support people identified as having a major mental illness, including D2 in Cloverhill Prison and two units within the Medical Unit in Mountjoy Prison. In recent years significant progress has been made to improve both accommodation and regime on these wings in both prisons.

I can further advise the Deputy that in relation to addiction recovery, there are four units within the Medical Unit in Mountjoy Prison, which are designated drug free landings and support the Treatment and Rehabilitation Programme (TARP) currently run by Merchants Quay Ireland.

Treatment and Rehabilitation is a bespoke programme which was developed in 2022 by Merchants Quay Ireland in partnership with the Irish Prison Service to support those who had become drug free in prison to continue their recovery and to support them to continue to lead a drug free life both whilst in prison, and post release. The programme runs over a seven week cycle, six weeks of group work and one week for orientation in the unit. Seven courses are held each calendar year accommodating up to 63 prisoners in total. TARP is currently being reviewed to support ongoing developments in relation to addiction support.