Drug injection van is being considered for Cork city

The Government is to look at the establishment of mobile supervised drug injection facilities in “areas of need” once a pilot centre in Dublin has been reviewed next summer, a Cork TD has been told.

However, the CEO of Merchants Quay Ireland has expressed concerns about the effectiveness of a mobile facility.

Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice asked if consideration is being given to establishing a medically supervised injection centre in Cork, and the work carried out to date in respect of this.

Minister of State at the Department of Health, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, said that a supervised injecting facility (SIF) offers a compassionate service that reduces the harms associated with injecting drugs.

“The Government decided that the first SIF would be established in Dublin city centre on a pilot basis,” she said.

This pilot will last for 18 months, after which point it will be reviewed, and SIFs in other areas looked at. This review is expected to take place in summer 2026.

“The Minister of state for the national drugs strategy granted a licence to Merchants Quay Ireland to operate a pilot supervised injecting facility in Dublin city centre, for a maximum period of 18 months, in line with planning permission rules. The facility opened on December 22, 2024,” said Ms Murnane O’Connor.

“The SIF will be evaluated over the pilot phase, and the findings will inform decisions about the development of new facilities in other regions. This includes the possible establishment of a mobile SIF in areas of need, as set out in the programme for government.”

A UCC report commissioned by the HSE and Cork City Council found that 35 people are dying from problem drug use in Cork city each year, suggesting they could be saved with a supervised injection facility.

Such a facility could provide a connection point in the harm reduction system for individuals not in treatment, create a safe environment for problem drug users, and result in “a reduction of drug-related litter in Cork city and the number of open-air drug dens”, the report stated.

However, Eddie Mullins, CEO of Merchants Quay Ireland which runs the Dublin centre, previously told The Echo: “I see a mobile facility as quite ineffective.

“In our facility, a client comes in, they’re met at reception, show us their drugs, they are taken to an injection room and spend 15 minutes there, then 30 minutes minimum in aftercare room where we monitor them.

“We couldn’t keep a person for 45 minutes in a van, and it wouldn’t be as easy to get the same interventions, to get them to see a GP or project worker if they’re struggling with their mental health.”