Addiction Treatment Services
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-19
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Niall Collins (FF), Limerick County

I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this important matter. The Government is acutely aware of the real harm caused by drug misuse, which continues to impact individuals, families and communities across the country. The scourge of drugs presents serious challenges, not only to our health systems but also for the criminal justice system. For these reasons the drug treatment court represents an important and progressive intervention.
The drug treatment court is a supervised treatment, education and rehabilitation programme that provides an alternative to custodial sentences for persons found guilty of certain drug-related offences. The court was established in 2001 on a pilot basis as an alternative to custody for individuals whose offending behaviour is driven by an underlying drug dependency. It operates by way of a multidisciplinary team made up of staff from the HSE, An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service and the City of Dublin Education and Training Board, along with the Courts Service and the Judiciary.
Under the national drug strategy 2017 to 2025, steps to evaluate the drug treatment court and make recommendations on the future direction of the drug treatment courts nationwide are being undertaken. This action has been led by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in consultation with the Department of Health. The Centre for Justice Innovation was commissioned by the Department to carry out an evaluation of the court. The evaluation builds on the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use recommendation that the State should adopt a comprehensive health-led response to drugs use. I can advise the House that the draft final report was received by the Department at the end of 2025 and shared with key stakeholders. The final report incorporating their feedback was received in February 2026 and is currently under consideration by the Department. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, expects to receive this report in the near future. The evaluation will provide an evidence base to inform policy development and decisions, including any consideration of the mainstreaming of funding and the wider roll-out of drug treatment courts.
The Government fully recognises the interest in expanding this model beyond its current operation. The Government also appreciates the desire to ensure that more individuals benefit from this approach, especially in areas where drug-related offending puts significant pressure on communities and the justice system. Any expansion, however, must be carefully planned and grounded in evidence. It should also be acknowledged that the rate of referrals to the drug treatment court is low and this is something that will need to be addressed going forward.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:57+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-19