Mr. Eugene Lennon:

I am principal officer in the medicines, controlled drugs and pharmacy legislation unit in the Department of Health. I am joined by my colleagues, Ms Susan Scally, principal officer in the drugs policy unit, and Mr. Eamonn Quinn, pharmacist at the Department of Health, along with Dr. Eamonn Keenan, national clinical lead of HSE addiction services. I thank the committee for inviting us to address it today about the Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2016.

As we are all aware, there is a problem with public injecting in Dublin and other cities and towns in Ireland. This practice is unhygienic and unsafe and as a result, people who inject drugs are at an increased risk of contracting blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV and an increased risk of death as a result of overdose. Public injecting is antisocial behaviour that impacts on other citizens and businesses in the area in which it occurs. The wider community is also at risk due to unsafe disposal of syringes, needles and other drug paraphernalia. The establishment of a supervised injecting facility, SIF, has been proposed to ameliorate these problems. A SIF provides a clinical, controlled environment where drug users may self administer by injection drugs they have brought with them. Such facilities provide access to clean, sterile injecting equipment; medical and social care interventions; referral pathways to other treatment and rehabilitation services; and trained staff to provide emergency care in the event of an overdose. More simply, they provide a low-threshold point of contact for people who inject drugs.

A SIF is not a "free for all" for those who wish to inject drugs. Rather, it aims to attract and reach out to hard-to-reach or marginalised populations of drug users. It works to minimise the harm associated with injecting drugs until an individual is able and ready to address their problems. An injecting facility does not support or promote drug use. Rather, it works to prevent injury and death and to connect people with help. It is not a solution to the drug problem but rather should be seen as part of a suite of harm reduction measures that can be deployed to address what is a complex and difficult issue.

There are almost 90 drug consumption rooms operating around the world, in cities such as Luxembourg, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Sydney and Vancouver. Evidence from these sites demonstrates: a reduction in fatal overdoses and transmission of blood borne diseases; a decrease in the incidence of public injecting; significant reductions in drug related litter, and no increase in the use of drugs or of drug-related crime.

Drug consumption rooms have been operating for more than 30 years and to date worldwide there have been no reported death as a result of an overdose in such a facility. The previous Government, and the then Minister of State at the Department of Health the then Deputy now Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin approved the drafting of additional heads to provide for supervised injecting facilities in the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill in December 2015. The programme for a partnership Government agreed in May, reaffirmed the commitment to legislate for what was termed "injection rooms". Originally it was intended that the legislative provision for supervised injecting facilities would be included as part of larger Bill, but earlier this year, it was decided that there would be two separate Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bills. The first Bill was passed by the Oireachtas in late July. The second Bill, which is being drafted at present will deal with supervised injecting facilities.

The proposed legislation would allow the Minister for Health to issue a licence with conditions to operate a supervised injecting facility. This licence would be for a defined period of time and could be revoked, suspended or the conditions of the licence amended by the Minister. The provisions of the Bill would also exempt authorised users of a supervised injecting facility from the offence of possession when in the facility, and with the permission of the licence holder; it would provide an exemption for licensed providers where it is an offence to permit the preparation or possession of a controlled substance in premises; it would enable the Minister to consult with the HSE, An Garda Síochána or others on matters relating to a supervised injecting facility and it would enable the Minister to make regulations relating to the operation of such facilities.

Possession of controlled drugs would continue to be an offence outside of an injecting facility. Possession for sale or supply will remain illegal both inside and outside the facility. There can be no suggestion of creating a "no go" area for An Garda Síochána. To support an Garda Síochána it is proposed the Bill would include a provision that Garda members will be able to access a facility, for the prevention or detection of offences, without the need for a warrant.

This Bill will not establish the location of a supervised injecting facility. However it is envisaged that the first facility would be in Dublin city centre where there is a significant, recognised problem of public injecting. This first facility would be a pilot service to determine the utility, safety and cost-effectiveness of a supervised injecting facility in an Irish context. It would be run by the HSE or a non-governmental organisation, working under a service level agreement with the HSE. Preparatory work would be required in advance of the establishment of such a facility. The HSE would consult with An Garda Síochána and other relevant authorities, NGOs and community groups prior to its establishment.

The aim of any supervised injecting facility in Ireland and therefore the aim of this legislation will be to reduce the incidence of public injecting and the impact this has on people who inject drugs in relation to their dignity, health and ability to access health and social care services; the wider community; in relation to public health, drug related litter and public amenity; public services in relation to Garda and ambulance resources and most importantly, the number of drug related deaths, resulting directly from overdoses on our streets.

I thank the Chairman. I will be happy to address any follow-up questions.