Tuesday, 25 Jun 2024

Mental Health Services

Questions (399)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

399. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the current staffing compliment of the Children and Youth Mental Health Office, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26867/24]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond Directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Special Educational Needs

Questions (400)

Matt Shanahan

Question:

400. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 516 of 21 May 2024, when a response will issue in relation to the question (details supplied). [26869/24]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond Directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Health Strategies

Questions (401)

Mick Barry

Question:

401. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Health if he will investigate the possibility of testing for chagas disease in bone marrow donations in order to facilitate those from Latin America to make donations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26871/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

In November 2022 the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) introduced Individual Donor Risk Assessment (IDRA) for all donors. IDRA has enabled the IBTS to ask the same health and lifestyle criteria questions to all existing and potential new donors. This means that any deferrals are applied based on the donor’s individual specific risk profile.

To register to become a bone marrow donor, you must meet the normal eligibility criteria to become a blood donor. There is also one additional difference regarding age criteria. Whereas you can become a new blood donor up until the age of 65, to become a bone marrow donor, you must be aged between 18 and 45, and be willing to remain on the panel until you are 55.

To be eligible for the Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Register, a person has to be eligible as a blood donor. This may pose challenges to people from certain geographical areas. The IBTS donor selection process, which includes relevant testing, is under constant evaluation and active review, in light of scientific evidence, emerging infections and international evidence, to ensure the ongoing safety of blood and the products derived from it.

Health Strategies

Questions (402)

Thomas Gould

Question:

402. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health for an update on the review of the Drug and Alcohol Taskforce Handbook. [26873/24]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Colm Burke)

Drug and Alcohol Task Forces play a key role in the implementation of the national drugs strategy, ' Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery'. Action 50 of the strategy commits to ensuring that Task Forces have proper arrangements in place for the selection and renewal of the Chairperson, Members of Task Forces and for having proper procedures in place for addressing conflicts of interest.

The governance and operation of the task forces is set out in a handbook published in 2011. It defines the role of the task forces within the national and local framework required to address the existing and emerging threats from problem drug use.

The Department has commissioned a consultant to complete work on the development of a Governance and Performance Framework for Drug and Alcohol Taskforces and work on this action is ongoing.

This framework will inform future work on the revision of the handbook.

Health Strategies

Questions (403, 404, 406, 407, 408)

Thomas Gould

Question:

403. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health for an update on each of the strategic implementation objectives under the mid-term review of the National Drugs Strategy, by objective with current status, barriers preventing implementation and timeline for delivery, in tabular form. [26874/24]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

404. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the date of the last three meetings of the National Oversight Committee; and the date of the last three meetings of the strategic implementation group meetings. [26875/24]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

406. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the current status of the new National Drugs Strategy. [26877/24]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

407. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health when consultation will commence on the new National Drugs Strategy. [26878/24]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

408. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the National Oversight Committee is given opportunity and autonomy to provide robust oversight of the National Drugs Strategy. [26879/24]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Colm Burke)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 403, 404, 406, 407 and 408 together.

The national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, runs from 2017 to 2025. Following a mid-term review in 2021, six strategic priorities were agreed for the second phase of the strategy. Under the auspices of the national oversight committee, strategic implementation groups, with independent chairs, were established to develop and monitor a Strategic action plan for 2023-2024, containing 34 actions across the six strategic priorities.

The Dept of Health is commissioning an evaluation of the development and implementation of the second phase of the national action plan, to include:

- the oversight structures for the national drugs strategy

- the strategic implementation groups

- the six strategic priorities and 34 actions in the strategic action plan 2023-2024.

It is expected that the evaluation will commence in Q3 2024 and be completed in quarter 4, 2024.

The recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Drug Use will provide the building blocks for the next national drugs strategy and strategic action plan in 2025.

The Report of the Citizens Assembly on Drug Use recommends that Government should publish a new iteration of the National Drugs Strategy as a matter of urgency. A first draft should be published by June 2024 for consultation, with the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly as a key input. The Strategy should contain annual action plans with measurable targets and objectives, clear designation of responsibilities, and regular reporting on implementation and expenditure.

In addition, the citizens assembly made a number of recommendations specifically referencing the national drugs strategy.

The Government has established a special Oireachtas Ctte to consider the recommendations of the citizens assembly. It is expected that this ctte will report at end of 2024.

Taking into account the above factors (current action plan, commissioning of evaluation, deliberations of the Oireachtas ctte, and the recommendations of the citizens assembly), it is not practicable to have a first draft of the new national drugs strategy in 2024. Rather, the ideal timeframe for the finalisation of the new national drugs strategy s the first half of 2025. The new strategy should include an annual action plan beginning in 2025.

With regards to the last three dates of the National Oversight Committee, these occurred on the 7th March 2024, 7th December 2023, 7th September 2023. The next one is set for the 11th of July. The 6 Strategic Implementation Groups are chaired independently and each chair sets the meetings themselves. However, they are asked to have a meeting in advance of each NOC meeting to ensure that updates on the progress of their respective actions are prepared for the NOC committee in a timely manner.

The National Oversight Committee is chaired by the Minister for State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy has been convened to oversee progress in the National Drugs Strategy.

This committee’s responsibilities include:

• to give leadership, policy direction, prioritisation and mobilisation of resources to support the strategic implementation groups.

• to measure performance in order to strengthen the delivery of drugs initiatives and to improve the impact on the drug problem.

• to monitor the drugs situation and ensure that the lessons drawn from evidence and good practice inform the development of policy and initiatives to address the drug problem oversee.

• to ensure good governance and accountability by all partners involved in the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy

• to oversee early warning and emerging needs and research sub-committees

The committee’s membership was reconvened after a mid-term review in 2021, with the addition of six independent chairs of the new strategic implementation groups. The Mid-term review also reviewed the governance and oversight structures of the strategy, including the NOC.

To drive the six new strategic priorities that arose from the mid-term review, six strategic implementation groups were also established which sit underneath the National Oversight Committee. The membership of the six new groups comprises of representatives from Government departments and agencies, drug and alcohol taskforces and civil society, with an independent chairperson.

Both the National Oversight Committee and the Strategic Implementation Groups ensure that civil society are centrally involved in reducing drug-related harm. The groups are also working to strengthen the inter-agency partnership approach and widen and deepen the involvement of civil society in developing national policy. Progress on the Strategic Action Plan 2023-2024 is reported on a quarterly basis to the National Oversight Committee where the actions and any barriers to implementation is discussed on a standing agenda item at each NOC meeting.

The progress updates on each action within the Strategic Action Plan is then published online after each NOC meeting here. It is envisioned that this action plan is completed by the end of 2024.

Question No. 404 answered with Question No. 403.

Crime Prevention

Questions (405)

Thomas Gould

Question:

405. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the funding provided to the adult diversion programme in each of the years 2019 to date. [26876/24]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Colm Burke)

The Programme for Government commits to implementing the health diversion scheme as an important step in developing a public health-led approach to drug use. This scheme will connect people who use drugs with health services and a pathway to recovery, avoiding a criminal conviction, which can have far-reaching consequences for people, particularly younger people.

Under the health diversion scheme, An Garda Síochána will divert a person found in possession of drugs for personal use to the HSE for a health screening and brief intervention.

The SAOR (Support, Ask and Assess, Offer Assistance, Refer) Model has been adopted by the HSE as the national model for delivering screening and brief intervention for drug and alcohol use. Funding of €0.7m was made available to the HSE in Budget 2022 and drawn down in Q4 2022 for the establishment of the SAOR Screening and Brief Intervention Service as part of the health diversion scheme.

I look forward to the commencement of the health diversion scheme which will treat drug use as a health issue and give people who use drugs the opportunity to avoid a criminal conviction.

Question No. 406 answered with Question No. 403.

Question No. 407 answered with Question No. 403.

Question No. 408 answered with Question No. 403.

Departmental Staff

Questions (409)

Thomas Gould

Question:

409. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of people working in the drugs policy unit in each of the years 2019 to date, in tabular form. [26880/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

The number of staff employed in the Drugs Policy Unit of the Department of Health at the end of each year from 2019-2023 and as of the end of May 2024 is documented in the below table.

-	December 2019	December 2020	December 2021	December 2022	December 2023	May 2024
Headcount	13	13	13	13	13	14