CHANGES at Mountjoy Prison had led to a number of drug seizures and some prosecutions of visitors were pending, the House was told. The Minister for Justice, Ms Owen, in a written reply to Ms Roisin Shortall (Lab, Dublin North West) said the visiting arrangements had been adapted, procedures for searching had been improved and video surveillance equipment had been upgraded.
It was not possible to be certain of the scale of the drug problem at the prison but a significant proportion of committals from the courts at least 40 per cent had a background of drug abuse.
She had commissioned a detailed study of the prison population which she hoped, would, provide new insights into the background and nature of the current prisoner population. This information would assist in the future management of the prisons and in the improvement of services for prisoners.
A detoxification programme and a methadone maintenance programme for those considered medically suitable was being planned. She had also approved the opening of a drug free facility in Mountjoy.