128. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Justice the number of addiction counsellors and related practitioners employed in each of the prisons; and the waiting list for each of the prisons to access the relevant service. [10005/25]

Jim O'Callaghan, Minister for Justice: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) that they provide a health care service for people in custody with addictions in a structured, safe and professional manner in line with international best practice. The IPS continues to be committed to, and involved with, the National Drugs Strategy in partnership with community colleagues and organisations.

It is the policy of the Irish Prison Service that where a person committed to prison gives a history of opiate use and tests positive for opioids they are offered a medically assisted, symptomatic detoxification, if clinically indicated.  People in custody can, as part of the assessment process, discuss other treatment options with healthcare staff and those treatment options 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.

The Irish Prison Service engages Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) to provide a prison-based addiction counselling service across the entire IPS 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.

The Irish Prison Service also works closely with Narcotics Anonymous who provide support to people in custody. The Irish Prison Service is also in the process of implementing additional supports to people with addiction and mental health difficulties, including the 'Recovery College' model which provides education, training and workshops, and the introduction of an Addiction Studies course.

The information requested in respect of the number of MQI Addiction Counsellors and the current waiting list is provided in the table below.  The current sanctioned quota for Addiction Counsellors across the prison estate is 20. I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that MQI are currently looking to recruit additional addiction counsellors to fill the sanctioned quota.