Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Carlow-Kilkenny · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“There is nothing any of us in this House can say that can undo the pain, harm and loss experienced by those young boys, their families and the communities in which they lived, played basketball and worked. They have had to endure a lifetime of harm, many of them carrying their suffering in silence.”
“We are listening to you, we are learning and we are acting. All of us in this House have a responsibility to ensure that our child safeguarding systems are robust. We must ensure that if concerns are raised today, they are acted on without delay.”
“Today is a profoundly important and solemn day. I want to add my voice to the full and formal State apology and to acknowledge the courage, dignity and perseverance of those survivors who fought for truth and accountability for so many years.”
“I thank the Deputy for highlighting this very important issue and the 161 recommendations. First, I thank the Joint Committee on Drug Use for its work. I welcomed the report and I am in agreement with many of its recommendations. As the Deputy will be aware, earlier this year I published a draft of the national drugs strategy.”
“The Bill and the secondary legislation, training and clinical protocols that will follow it will support the terms and conditions for this service, as laid out in the community pharmacy agreement. All secondary legislation will be in place before commencement and launch of this measure.”
“No. I thank the Deputy again for her work on the drugs committee. The vast majority of the 161 recommendations will be in the new drugs strategy but one of the recommendations was on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. It falls under section 3. That legalises drugs. It is important we tell the people of the concern.”
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“The Taoiseach visited communities. It was also important that when the Minister of State and the Taoiseach visited Carlow and Kilkenny they spoke to all the residents. They also spoke to the council staff and all the different people who were affected. The best one of all was that our own Carlow weatherman, Alan O'Reilly, came to visit. Alan had a lot of ideas, which he spoke to the Minister of State about, and I have given some information. That was important as well. I am aware the Taoiseach and Minister of State met last week to consider the State's response to extreme weather events. It was agreed that work on the flood relief schemes will be accelerated, and interim measures will be implemented in areas at the risk of flooding.”
“We need to take this opportunity to provide more funding to, and place more focus on, our flood prevention scheme - I had several meetings about this with the Minister of State - and to further support the fantastic work done by our county councils up and down the country. They have done a brilliant job. I thank the services the Minister of State thanked, including the Red Cross, An Garda Síochána, the HSE and the Civil Defence. I also thank neighbours and friends who came out to help. Anyone who was in a position to do so, came out to help. While we had these awful floods, and they were horrific, we saw great community spirit. Everybody was helping everybody. When people are there to help their neighbours and everyone is working together, that community spirit and engagement is really positive and lovely.”
“My constituency is full of small independent businesses but, again, they are having issues with insurance because of the flooding. I welcome the decision by the Minister, Deputy Burke, to increase the threshold for emergency humanitarian flooding support for impacted businesses from €20,000 to €100,000. The assessment required for this grant needs to be completed quickly to allow our small businesses to get back up and running as quickly as possible. I know the Minister of State has been working with the different Departments and I thank him for that. I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to everyone in Carlow and Kilkenny, the county councils and the local authority staff, including the outdoor workers, who worked on protecting homes and businesses.”
“We were very lucky with Carlow County Council, which monitored things, watched the water and had pumps out. That was a significant challenge because there was a risk it would go into their houses. When I went around and spoke to many of the residents, I found that the biggest issue was the fact that people in a flood-prone area cannot get home insurance, an issue we have to look at. We need to make sure that people living in flood-prone areas can get home insurance. Preventative flood measures in these areas and in communities across Ireland such as natural flood defences and permanent water pumps would help ease the anxiety of residents about further damage to their property. Several areas were affected, including St. Mullins and Graiguenamanagh in County Kilkenny. Again, I thank the Minister of State and the Taoiseach for visiting.”
“I will highlight an area in my own county of Carlow that has been greatly affected by Storm Chandra. Clonegal is a small rural village in the south east of County Carlow. Over the past number of weeks, the village has faced what its residents are saying is the worst flooding they have seen in over 20 years with several houses and properties flooded after the River Derry burst its banks. Around 300 people live in Clonegal and at least eight houses were badly affected by flooding, which has greatly upset families. I know that across Ireland, many other families are feeling like this. I know the Minister of State visited Carlow town, which was also hit hard with 250 houses on Burrin Road faced with gardens underwater and near-damage to their homes and cars.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his statement and his work on this matter, in particular his commitment. The Minister of State has visited Carlow and Kilkenny but I have seen him and the Taoiseach go around the country to anywhere that was flooded, which is important. It is important that they see what is happening and are able to speak to everyone. It is safe to say that we have never seen rain as heavy or flooding as bad as that which we have experienced over the past number of weeks. I acknowledge the upset and devastation that has been experienced by people across the country recently. Seeing one's home, business, housing estate or town under water and trying to manage the clean up and repairs has to be a very stressful and devastating experience.”
“I extend our gratitude not only to those working in the hospitals ensuring those in need of quality healthcare get it, but also to those out in the community ensuring all those who are eligible to receive the free flu vaccine get the vaccine early, ensuring those who are most vulnerable to the effects of the flu are protected. Again, I thank Senator Conway for the opportunity to discuss this matter today. As I said, this is very important. Like him, I have known people who have had the shingles, so this is very important. The Senator and this House have my commitment to go back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to explain the passion here today and the need for this vaccine. It is important for people, particularly older people, who have shingles. I will definitely go back to the Minister on that.”
“Again, this season it has contributed significantly to the improvement of health outcomes over the winter period due to the resultant reduction in the circulation of RSV disease and hospital attendance for children. The considerable positive impact of our national immunisation programme is easily identifiable in this instance. It is critical, however, that high uptake rates are achieved in both the long established and the more recently introduced immunisation programmes, such as the flu vaccine for children, to ensure these life-saving interventions are as impactful as possible and represent the best return on investment for the health service. I wish to take this opportunity to put on the record of the House our thanks to all the healthcare professionals working tirelessly throughout the winter season.”
“It is notable that immunisation uptake rates are generally high across the various immunisations provided as part of the national programme. Many Senators spoke today on a particular example which relates to the influenza vaccination programme. I am pleased to note Ireland has one of the highest flu vaccine uptake rates for older adults in Europe. Uptake in those aged 65 years and older was nearly 75% in the 2024-25 influenza season, which aligns with the target set for this group by the World Health Organization. This contributes to the broad goal of safeguarding the health of the population through immunisation, which confers benefits to both individuals and the general public by way of herd immunity. Another notable example is the RSV infant immunisation pathfinder programme, which has achieved high uptake rates.”
“It is important to acknowledge that a decision on whether to introduce a specific immunisation programme must be based on many factors, including the burden of disease on individuals and health services, the clinical effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of the programme. As I stated earlier, the Department of Health is actively examining the possibility of offering the shingles vaccine to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals, with a view to a potential phasing in of additional groups at a later time, in line with NIAC advice and mindful of the cost effectiveness of market pricing. Ireland’s national immunisation programme is vitally important for protecting the health of the population and ensuring the effective functioning of the health system.”
“I know this is all the Department, but I am trying to explain as best I can through the Department and the HSE. The HTA noted a decision to fund the shingles vaccine as part of the adult programme could have significant financial and logistical implications, depending on the population group for whom the vaccine is funded. It also found there was uncertainty surrounding the potential uptake of the vaccine given the wide range of uptake estimated for other vaccines in the adult immunisation programme and for shingles vaccine uptake internationally. In addition, the HTA advised that if a decision were made to fund the shingles vaccination, consideration would need to be given to defining priority groups. You would have to define the priority groups for vaccination in the event that demand exceeds supply.”
“It is important to note that adding a shingles vaccination to the routine immunisation schedule for all adults aged 65 and over was not deemed to be an efficient use of resources, even after considering potential savings as a result of fewer people presenting to their GP or being admitted to hospital. This is what they were looking at. HIQA's health technology assessment found that the introduction of a shingles vaccine was not cost-effective based on the cost of the vaccine. It was determined to be cost-effective for the vaccination of those at age 75 years and 80 years. This is what came from that assessment. If the cost of the vaccine was reduced by 80%, the HTA further outlined the cost estimate of providing the vaccine to people turning 50, 60 and 70 years of age, respectively.”
“Once this information is available the Minister for Health will make a decision in relation to the introduction of a targeted shingles vaccination programme. This would require seeking additional funding via the annual budget and Estimates process for 2027. I can confirm that the Government is supportive of the introduction of a targeted shingles vaccination programme for eligible people should the HSE be able to negotiate a price that is deemed to be a fitting and appropriate use of healthcare resources, which will ease the burden of shingles on most vulnerable people in our community. That is exactly where we are today.”
“If the HSE can negotiate a more affordable price, it will be submitted in a costing to the Department, which will necessarily include other anticipated costs such as vaccine administration, training, ICT and communications. As we can all appreciate, it is important that the Department and the HSE adhere to value-for-money obligations set out by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, specific to efficient and effective use of public funds and resources. Furthermore, the Department of Health has recently written to HIQA asking it to conduct a scoping exercise to establish whether there is any relevant additional scientific information available after the 2024 HTA that may be pertinent to the review to inform the new matters. I will go back to the Minister on this for the Senator.”
“The HSE advise that the price quoted by the manufacturer was greatly in excess of the price noted by HIQA as a good use of healthcare resources in its 2024 HTA. It is important to note that as the Department is committed to exploring whether it is possible to offer the shingles vaccine to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals in the first instance in line with NIAC advice, the Chief Medical Officer has asked the HSE to conduct a new follow-on assessment of cost of delivery of a vaccine programme. This is being looked at now. It is hoped that it will be possible to implement a potential phasing-in approach of additional groups at a later time in line with NIAC advice and available funding.”
“NIAC guidelines state that the shingles vaccine may be considered in those aged 65 years and older due to the greater burden and severity of the disease in this particular age group and in those aged 18 years and older at risk of shingles. Following a request from the Minister, HIQA published a health technology assessment in 2024 which found that including the shingles vaccine in the routine immunisation schedule at the vaccine price at that time for all adults aged 65 years, and others, would not be cost-effective and would have a substantial budgetary impact. In 2025 the Department requested the HSE, which retains full responsibility for the vaccine procurement process, to enter non-binding negotiations with the manufacturer of Shingrix to determine if the HSE could procure the vaccine at a cost-effective price.”
“In advance of any change in policy the Minister can request that HIQA carry out an evaluation of the impacts of potential policy changes. HIQA has a statutory remit under the Health Act 2007 to evaluate the clinical cost-effectiveness of health technologies and to provide independent advice to the Minister for Health on the budget impact, organisational and social aspects, and ethical and legal issues. These evaluations take the form of a health technology assessment. The HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner. The use of the HTA facility assists decision-making in assessing the merits and potential shortcomings of a new health technology, policy or service based on accurate and reliable evidence.”
“I welcome this opportunity to update the House on the current status of shingles vaccinations in Ireland, and on the formal processes which underpin the delivery of the national immunisation programme today in Ireland. Our national immunisation programme is based on the advice of NIAC. The committee's recommendations are, in turn, based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland, international best practice in relation to immunisation, and evidence-based analysis and expert medical advice. NIAC submits its recommendations on immunisation matters to the Department of Health for consideration. Determination is subsequently made by the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, which will then take the form of a policy decision.”
“I am representing the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, today. Unfortunately the Minister cannot be here but I am delighted to be here to address the Senators on this. I can confirm that the Government shares the Senators' concerns on the impact of shingles, especially on vulnerable people and cases of post-herpetic neuralgia, PHN, and the associated discomfort and pain as well as the added stress of requiring additional medical care. The probability of PHN increases with age, increasing from a one in ten chance in 50- to 59-year-olds to a one in five chance in those aged over 80. The risk of shingles and complications from shingles increase after the age of 50, which the Senator spoke on, and among individuals who are more vulnerable due to certain health conditions.”
“Vaccination is considered to be one of the most impactful public health interventions we have at our disposal, and it is an integral part of a modern and well-functioning health system. The Government is committed to continuing to implement the recommendations on the potential expansion of the national immunisation programme as set out in the programme for Government and in line with NIAC advice. In fulfilling this commitment I can confirm that the Department of Health is actively examining the potential to offer the shingles vaccine in the first instance to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals, with a view to a potential phasing of an additional group at a later time, in line with the advice of NIAC and mindful of the cost-effectiveness of the market price.”
“I thank Senator Joe Conway. I thought his opening statement was absolutely excellent. I welcome the Senator's friends who are here today. I felt everybody who spoke on the motion was really passionate about it. I have a family member who had shingles and I have friends who had shingles. I saw what they went through. I realise how important this motion is. As previous speakers have said, we are not going to oppose the motion. I felt the opening statements were excellent. The Government has noted the motion. There was a meeting on Wednesday and I am pleased to say that the motion will not be opposed as the immunisation commitments outlined in our programme for Government broadly align with this motion we are debating today. This was spoken about on Wednesday. It is broadly aligned with what we have in the programme for Government.”
“I will meet the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, shortly to do with this as well. I know all of us within the different Departments will meet on it. I thank both Senators for bringing up drug issues. It is really important. We need to make sure that we get the services and the information out. How we can deliver this is going to be vital.”
“It is a public health issue for my Department and the HSE. It is a public order issue for the Department of justice and for the Garda Síochána. I want to commend Revenue on its tackling of the illegal importation of nitrous oxide at our ports. It is also an environmental issue concerning hazardous waste disposals for the Department of the environment. It is now a trade and enterprise issue for the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. We have all our different Departments now and we all need to work together. As we work together we will get stronger because this actually falls within all our remits. I want to thank the Senator for highlighting this really serious issue in her own area and I am sure it is in other areas too. I assure the Senator that we are working with other Departments too.”
“In response to the Senator, I reiterate this is a start. It is a very serious issue. An allocation of €1.5 million has been made by the Department of Health for a three-year drug and alcohol prevention and education programme. First of all we must get the awareness and the education out there, get it to the families and get it to the people who are using it to show the dangers of that. This aims to strengthen the prevention and highlight the relative harm, especially for younger people. I have published the draft of the new drug strategy, which contains a renewed focus on the protection of people, children, families and communities on the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. We know that the challenge of regulating the nitrous oxides cuts across multiple Departments and the existing law.”
“Within my own remit under health and well-being that is what we are doing. I thank the Senator for raising this. It is very important.”
“Maybe we need to make sure that people are aware that these are happening and we need to maybe get more communication out on this. The HSE’s website, drugs.ie , and its social media channels provide content that is informative, helpful and shareable. It gives them advice. The HSE social media team responds directly to people’s questions about substances - if they have a question they get them answered - through direct messages on all channels. They are answered through the HSE. I would encourage anyone who may be using nitrous oxide or anyone who has a loved one who may be using this substance to engage with the HSE or its drug and alcohol helpline to get confidential support and advice. This is about the awareness and information about what can happen and what the long-term effects are.”
“Through public awareness campaigns, harm reduction advice and engagement with at-risk groups, we are now working to minimise the very real health risks, including nerve damage. We are very much aware of the nerve damage. As a key part of this approach the HSE has a harm reduction fact sheet, detailing risks, effects, and advice, for drug and alcohol task forces, student unions, and at festivals. We are trying to target through health and well-being the areas that we feel we need to. This is available in local health services, through drug task forces and online. Parents are also supported with information through various sources, including the drugs.ie website, dedicated fact sheets, and a series of webinars. There are a lot of webinars going on.”
“I am aware there is significant concern about the rising use of the substance and the illegal importation of canisters at our ports. This issue was brought up on many occasions recently. It was discussed in the Dáil quite recently. The Minister for justice has indicated that this will be looked at in closer detail in the coming months by his Department. I look forward to engaging with the Minister for justice on this. I can assure the Senator that the Minister is very much aware of this in our ports as well. That absolutely has to be addressed. In the meantime, the HSE and various community groups are monitoring the situation and are responding to the rise in its use. We are doing this as well.”
“Section 74 of the Child Care Act 1991 states: It shall be an offence for a person to sell, offer or make available a substance to a person under the age of eighteen years, or to a person acting on behalf of that person if he knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the substance is, or its fumes are, likely to be inhaled by that person under the age of eighteen years for the purpose of causing intoxication. That is what it is. You cannot sell it to, and it is illegal to sell to, those under the age of 18. It comes under the two Acts I have read out. Responsibility for these do rest with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. That is where this remit lies under health and well-being.”
“Section 3 of the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances Act) 2010 states that a person who sells a psychoactive substance, knowing or being reckless as to whether that substance is being acquired or supplied for human consumption, shall be guilty of an offence. So, people cannot be selling it. This is the thing. This is part of the awareness we have to look at. We have to make sure that it is not being sold to children and younger people who it is really affecting.”
“I thank Senator Costello for highlighting and raising these serious concerns. As the Senator has said, things are changing and trends are changing the whole time. I see it within the drugs strategy section of the Department. First of all, it was really important that the Senator highlighted this. I will give an update on the response to the use of nitrous oxide and the ongoing development of our national drug strategy including its focus on prevention and education for young people of the use of drugs. That is part of the drugs strategy. We are looking at the prevention and awareness. Education will have to play a huge role and that is part of what we are doing within my own remit. Nitrous oxide is a psychoactive substance, and it is already addressed under two pieces of legislation.”
“The one thing I have learned is that there is not a family in Ireland that has not been affected by drugs, whether it is a family member, a neighbour, a cousin or someone else. We are now in a society where things have to change and we have to be there. We have to move and do what we can to get services as quickly as we can to those who need them. I think the new drugs strategy will play a huge role in that. Then, working with the Department and the HSE, again, as the Senator said, it is a matter of working around the whole country on where the services are needed and to make sure that those who need them get them. I thank the Senator for this Commencement matter.”
“Again, I thank the Senator. As I have said, I have shared the draft national drugs strategy with the joint committee. I will also take the report into account before finalising the strategy because it is important. This is about everybody working together. The draft strategy has also been published on the Department of Health website. As I mentioned earlier, I have now decided to carry out a public consultation because that is important. That public consultation will start soon. I will inform everyone about that. I ask that anyone who wants to have a say - maybe he or she feels there is something we could change or has an idea as to how we change it - should have his or her say. The strategy will go to public consultation for six weeks. It should start in February. I will have the dates shortly.”
“It is important we enhance the integration of our community-based services within our primary care and involve people with lived and living experience. I expect this process to be finished by June 2026. I fully intend to ensure the continued role of drug task forces in the implementation of the national drugs strategy and, in particular, in the co-ordination of the planning, funding and delivery of drug services. Like the Senator said, the task forces play a huge role, and I can only compliment them. We have 24 task forces around the country, and the work they have done, as she said, from the beginning and in the communities has helped many families and helped people living with drugs or people in the service, so it is important we commend them and thank them for their work.”
“The audit is examining the relationship between the demand for services and area-based deprivation, taking into account rural-urban and gender factors. I expect to receive the final report on this study shortly. The study, this audit of the drug services, is really important. It was the first thing I had requested with the Department. The remit of the HSE health regions will be supported by engagement with stakeholders, including our drug task forces and community-based services. I have decided that a process will be put in place whereby the Department of Health, the HSE health regions, drug task forces and all stakeholders will review existing structures with a view to strengthening stakeholder input into planning. It is a matter of all of us working together.”
“The draft strategy envisages a key role for the six HSE health regions to co-ordinate the planning, funding and delivery of HSE and community drug services. That is the first thing we did. We have the five pillars and we will work off them with the 30 actions. This is in order to address inequality in access to services between areas and to integrate services with primary care. It is important that service planning in the future is driven by equality of access. There should be no geographic or social barriers to accessing services. I am very mindful of that too. It is also important that peer-led and community-based services that reflect the lived experience of the local communities receive the support they need. To support this aim, the Department of Health has commissioned an audit of drug services. This is the start to it.”
“I am very mindful that in the draft of the new drugs strategy, one of the things mentioned is how we encourage awareness, how we try to prevent drug use and how we work and communicate with families and support them. That was the really important thing for me. The strategy was also informed by the evaluation of the consultations with, as the Senator knows, stakeholders, trends in drug and harmful alcohol use and the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use, of which, of course, Senators are all very much aware. That played a huge part in this as well. As the Senator knows, I recently received a draft of the new strategy, and I know the Senator's committee has received it too. It sets out five strategic pillars which will be delivered through 30 actions over a two-year period.”
“It is important that we rise to the challenge in this regard and ensure that everyone who needs services can access them, wherever they are in the country. This is something I am very particular about. Wherever you live, you should be able to access services. As the Senator knows, I established an expert steering group to oversee the drafting of the new strategy. This was supported by a reference group. On the reference group, there are people from front-line services, families and people with lived experience. It was important to me to have this. The representation of these groups was particularly important because we need to see families involved.”
“Senator Fitzpatrick has been so helpful and has worked extremely hard on the drugs committee. As she will know, the national drugs strategy is the centrepiece of the Government’s commitment to a health-led approach to drug use. It has been almost ten years since our last strategy was drafted, which is a long time. The drug situation has changed dramatically, as we all know and as the Senator said. This is about everywhere now, from rural Ireland to our cities. Drugs have reached every part of the country, and I am very mindful of that. We have new patterns of drug use, with increased use of cocaine - which the Senator spoke about - and newer synthetic substances. Drug use affects all communities across the country, regardless of whether they are rural, urban, wealthy or deprived. It is everywhere. This brings its own challenges.”
“This would strengthen regional connectivity, improve safety and support Ireland's role as an EU gateway. Deputy McGuinness and I were in Kilkenny last week and we spoke with the chief executive there. These were projects that came up too. It was mentioned that the N24 Waterford to Cahir and N25 Waterford to Glenmore schemes were in the pipeline, both of which are at different stages. All of this infrastructure is vital. I know the Minister is committed to this and I thank him for all his work. These are all urgently needed.”
“It will remove through traffic from the town centre, reduce congestion, improve public transport and make travel safer for pedestrians and cyclists. I note the consultants are in place ahead of the further public engagement and I look forward to reviewing the route option and the project continuing as it progresses. I know I am always on to the Minister about this one. I also want to mention the N80. Since Brexit, it has become a major national route, carrying more than 4.2 million vehicles annually, including a significant volume of heavy goods traffic. However, it is no longer fit for purpose and if you look at the Carlow part of that, it saw 27 accidents last year alone, including several fatalities over recent years. We need to upgrade the N80 and to look at it as a motorway, creating a link from Rosslare to the M7 at Portlaoise.”
“In my area, Carlow–Kilkenny, towns and villages must have adequate wastewater and utility capacity to support housing and growth locally. Last week, I highlighted here that towns such as Grange and Ardattin in County Carlow are still waiting on necessary wastewater infrastructure. Planning and funding decisions must be aligned so projects can move forward without delay. Transport infrastructure is also important. Investment in our roads, public transport and active travel improves journey times. We have done a lot on that but, as the Minister always says, safety and quality of life are a priority for us. We have really done a lot on that too but safety and quality of life, as the Minister always says, is a priority for us. I want to highlight the Carlow southern relief road, which is a project in the national development plan.”
“I welcome the Government’s work to escalate infrastructure delivery. Ireland is experiencing strong population growth, a rise in economic activity and increasing demand for public services. These are positive developments but they place pressure on our transport, utilities and regional infrastructure. Therefore, we must ensure essential projects are delivered efficiently. I welcome the infrastructure plan introduced by the Minister, which will strengthen the planning process, improve procurement and support better co-ordination between agencies. The most important part is to have all the agencies working together. We want to reduce delays, increase certainty and allow vital projects to progress in a more streamlined way. Balanced regional development is essential.”
“I would love to see the Senator there and it is important for me to meet everyone, to see what we need to look at and what we can do.”
“Providing access to high-quality drug and alcohol services is a key priority of mine and the Department, and I am focused on the whole country. The Department of Health is finalising a audit of drug and alcohol services. This will support our new health regions in their planning. This is what we are working on at the moment, namely, funding and delivery of drug and alcohol services. It will highlight those areas and groups that are unequal. This is what I am really focused on. I can assure the Senator that it is my intention to provide equal access to services, in line with the Sláintecare principle of right care, right place, right time. I am looking forward to visiting in the next few days. I have the appointment made.”
“This facility will provide an additional 18 residential treatment beds for medically complex cases, bringing the capacity to 30 beds. These additional beds will be available for people seeking treatment for complex additional needs, including dual diagnosis, pregnancy or other medical conditions, on a national basis. This demonstrates that we are committed and I understand that we need to look at the services on a region-by-region basis. I thank the Senator for highlighting this very important issue today.”
“These are from a variety of service providers. Access to residential detoxification beds is based on need. Someone from the midlands region can access residential services in any suitable location. The provision of the detoxification programme occurs after a comprehensive medical assessment. In some cases it may be appropriate to provide detoxification in a community setting through a doctor or a HSE addiction clinic. People who wish to access a detoxification service should make contact with their GP or local drugs service to make a referral. Budget 2026 provided €11 million in additional funding for drug and inclusive health services. This includes residential services and I recently opened the new HSE Cuan Dara residential treatment facility, which will benefit from this new funding.”
“The HSE centre provides annual funding of €8.4 million for treatment episodes, depending on regional needs and service capacity. This is why the new drugs strategy will be so important when we put it out to public consultation. It is ten years since we had the last national drugs strategy and it is very important now because drugs affect everyone. I can honestly say there is not a family or someone who knows a family in Ireland that is not affected by drugs. This is what we have to look at now. We have to look at the services, where they are and who can access them, as well as making sure the services are there for the people who need them. This is part of the new drugs strategy and it is so important. I am very mindful of this. Approximately 174 residential treatment detoxification beds are available nationally.”
“The demand for drug services is reported annually through the national drugs treatment reporting system. In 2024 more than 22,000 cases of problem drug and alcohol use were treated. Of these, 20% were treated in residential settings, which also are known as a tier 4 service. This is the difference and it includes treatment in specialised inpatient detoxification services. Residential treatment services are provided by specialist and dedicated inpatient residential units or wards, which provide inpatient detoxification or assisted withdrawal and stabilisation. Some of the service users with complex needs, such as dual diagnosis, which the Senator spoke about, or pregnancy, liver or HIV-related problems, may need inpatient treatment in general psychiatric wards or acute hospitals.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise is a model 3 hospital, providing acute care services, with 71 beds. As we know, it serves the populations of Laois, Kildare, Carlow and north Tipperary. As the Senator said, the hospital does not provide supervised detoxification beds and at present, there are no proposals for this. I will speak to officials to look at this and keep it under consideration. As the Senator noted, I received a draft of the national drugs strategy last week and I welcome this. I also have instructed the Department officials to put the draft of the strategy out to public consultation and I will have the details of this soon. It is important that it happens because it will be very important in the future.”