Parliamentary Question: Prison Medical Service

21st February 2002

140. Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will implement the recommendations of the recent review of prison medical services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6172/02]
 
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue): Following the publication of the report referred to by the Deputy in September 2001, I requested the director general of the Prison Service to enter into dialogue with the various interests involved with a view to ensuring that the range of measures recommended in the report be pursued to ensure that the health of prisoners was safeguarded. In particular, I indicated my support for the recommendation that a multi-disciplinary approach, involving both prison and community agencies, be taken to ensure the delivery of health care to prisoners.

I understand that the director general decided, following consultation with other agencies involved, that the most practical way to move forward on this would be to establish an implementation group to bring the core recommendations of the report forward on a partnership basis. The process of nominating members of this group, which involved contact with the various health boards where prisons are located, is almost complete and the Prison Service expects the implementation group to begin work very soon.

Over the past three years developments in the organisation and provision of drug treatment services to prisoners in the Dublin prisons have increasingly been undertaken through a partnership mechanism involving both the Prison Service and statutory and voluntary agencies in the relevant communities. This has led to a significant improvement in both the range of such services available and in the numbers of prisoners benefiting from them. To take one example, methadone maintenance programmes are now extensively provided within the Dublin prisons.

Progress is also being made in relation to a number of other recommendations in this report. A draft set of health care standards is in the process of being drawn up for consideration by the relevant parties. Steps have been taken to undertake a fundamental review of the current contract for prison doctors through negotiation with the Irish Medical Organisation which represents such doctors. Both sides are agreed that the current common contract requires revision in the light of the review group findings and recommendations. Steps are also being taken to increase the number of nurses working in prisons and, in conjunction with this expansion in prison nursing services, proposals are being formulated to develop a clinical nursing management structure at prison level.

When I launched this report I indicated that the achievement of the recommendations would require considerable dialogue and negotiation with a variety of agencies. Notwithstanding the various difficulties which have dogged this area over the years and particularly given the problems associated with providing health care in a custodial environment, I am satisfied that steady progress is being made towards ensuring that the standard of health care afforded to prisoners will be equivalent to that available to citizens in the general community covered by the GMS schemes.