1119. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if she will consider a review of the need for addiction services given the huge issue in Ireland with alcohol, drug and gambling addiction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47630/25]

Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill): In 2024, 13,295 cases were treated for problem drug use. This is the highest annual number recorded by the NDTRS to date and an increase of 191 cases compared to 2023. An additional 8,745 cases were treated for problem alcohol use in Ireland in 2024, representing a 7% increase on 2023.

This continues the upward trend in treatment cases and demonstrates the impact of the National Drugs Strategy in enhancing access to drug services, with an increase of 50% in cases since the strategy began in 2017.

The data shows that the demand for drug treatment is across all regions of the country, all age groups, men and women, people with children and those without, and those who are unemployed as well those in employment.

In 2025, the Dept allocated an additional €4.2 million for drug and alcohol services.

In addition, the Dept is undertaking a project to ensure that drug and alcohol services are enhanced in the HSE health regions. Phase 1 of this work involved mapping existing publicly funded services. The National Drug Treatment Reporting System was used to locate services and provide details of what services they offer. A publicly available map of services was produced (www.drugsandalcohol.ie/services_map).

Phase 2 of the work will provide data to support the planning and delivery of drug and alcohol services. The Dept is working with key stakeholders from HSE Health Intelligence, HSE Health Improvement and HSE Health Service Improvement, along with the HRB, people with experience of accessing drug and alcohol services to identify ways that services could be aligned with non-acute services in the community. Better information is key to drive change in how services are delivered.

Under the national drugs strategy, I will work with the HSE health regions to ensure equity of access to healthcare services for the diverse population groups with problem drug and alcohol use.