THE head of the National Drug Treatment Centre has dismissed claims that drugs are responsible for most of Dublin's crime.

Dr John O'Connor told the Dail Committee on Legislation and Security it was "foolish" to suggest that all or most of the crime in the city was drug related. One study had shown that most people got involved in recidivist behaviour long before they were into drugs.

"The poor addicts in Dublin are blamed for everything," he told the committee.

His view was disputed by a number of TDs, including Mr Tony Gregory, who pointed out that up to 85 per cent of some groups of drug addicts were involved in crime, according to Dr O'Connor's own figures.

"Addicts commit crime after crime to get a fix. To suggest this is not a huge factor in overall crime is misleading. I live in and represent an area with a major drug problem, and I find this suggestion unrealistic," he said.

Dr O'Connor criticised some GPs for over prescribing the heroin replacement drug, methadone, a practice he described as "the unacceptable face of private medicine".

Ms Liz O'Donnell, Progressive Democrats, said it was "disappointing and useless" that no figures were available on methadone deaths in Ireland. This information was vital for the purposes of policy formulation.

Dr O'Connor, who is clinical director of the centre, replied that it was often very difficult to pinpoint one drug as the cause of death, as many addicts simultaneously abused several.

The prescribing of methadone should be spread more evenly between doctors. Between 15 and 20 addicts should be assigned to a GP, and not 200 as was the case with some doctors who were making large sums of money in this area.

Dr O'Connor said there should be a legally enforced central notification system to prevent double and treble prescribing.

In a presentation to the committee, Dr O'Connor explained the extent of the drug problem:

. last year, the centre saw 1,785 patients, almost half of them new.

. most patients are in their teens, or early 20s. Two were aged between 12 and 14, and 340 were 15 to 19 year olds.

. the proportion who test HIV positive has fallen from 24 per cent in 1985 to 8 per cent last year.

. the number of pregnant drug abusers has risen since 1992, to 45 last year.

. the rate of hepatitis C infection among drug addicts is higher in Dublin than in New York.