PQs on Substance Use 2020
March
To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing the number of medical detoxification and rehabilitation beds by 20; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
May
To ask the Minister for Health the specific challenges facing community projects that the attention of his Department has been drawn to regarding places for residential addiction supports; the actions taken to alleviate them; and when access will be resumed.
To ask the Minister for Health if the fast tracking-process of opioid substitution therapy implemented as part of the NPHET response to protect vulnerable groups deemed to have an increased risk of contracting Covid-19 will be maintained.
Covid 19: Reopening of HSE drug counselling services
July
To ask the Minister for Health if increased funding has been provided to drug and alcohol treatment centres in view of the fact that their bed capacity has been significantly reduced in line with public health guidance as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To ask the Minister for Health if increased funding has been provided to non-HSE drug and alcohol treatment centres in view of the fact that their bed capacity has been significantly reduced in line with public health guidance as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To ask the Minister for Health if additional bed capacity in drug and alcohol treatment centres will be provided as a result of an increase in alcohol and drug addiction issues due to the lockdown resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
To ask the Minister for Health if a strategic plan will be put in place to assist persons that have developed drug or alcohol addictions or those that have had their drug or alcohol addictions increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
PQ 16018/20, PQ16019/20, PQ16020/20, PQ16021/20
To ask the Minister for Health the number of drug and alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation beds by region, in tabular form.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of detoxification and rehabilitation treatment beds by region in each of the years 2010 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form.
August
To whom it may concern, I am writing to you on behalf of a constituent of mine in relation to the access of the drug Naloxone. As I’m sure you know Naloxone is an antidote needed to treat acute opiate overdose. International studies have shown the benefits of naloxone and the lifesaving effects access to it has. This is also something I personally have witnessed in my former professional capacity as a social worker on Merchants Quay when working in addiction services. Many officials, healthcare workers and journalists have covered this issue extensively and highlighted to medical benefits of the drug.
Ronan Duffy for example cited the success of a more expansive scheme in Northern Ireland; “New research has now shown that, over the last five years in Northern Ireland, Naloxone was administered 112 times and has been successful in reversing an overdose on 98 occasions.” I therefore wish to ask the HSE about the current policy on the distribution of the drug – who has access to it and how does that get decided and/or allocated? Also what, if any, plans are currently afoot to increase the ease of access for those in need?
September
To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of an additional medical detoxification bed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of an additional rehabilitation bed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons working in the addiction services that have requested naloxone training; and the number working in the addiction services that have received naloxone training.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons working in the emergency services that have requested naloxone training; and the number working in the emergency services that have received naloxone training.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons working in homeless services that have requested naloxone training; and the number of working in homeless services that have received naloxone training.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners that have requested naloxone training; and the number of general practitioners that have received naloxone training.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons living with a person in addiction that have requested naloxone training; and the number of persons living with a person in addiction that have received naloxone training.
PQ 25627/20, PQ 25628/20, PQ 25630/20, PQ 25631/20, PQ 25632/20
November
To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons on waiting lists for residential addiction treatment services from November 2019 to date, by month in tabular form.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons on waiting lists for residential medical detox treatment services from November 2019 to date by month in tabular form.
To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of waiving the assessment fees for rehabilitative and detox treatment programmes.
To ask the Minister for Health if there has been an increase in the request for substance abuse support services since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
To ask the Minister for Health the number of publicly run rehabilitation treatment beds that were open in January 2020; and the number currently open.
December
To ask the Minister for Health the name and location of rehabilitation detox services that have been closed and used as isolation facilities due to Covid-19.