The Government has approved plans for the introduction of medically supervised injecting centres for drug users, it has been confirmed.

Last month, the Minister of State with responsibility for the Government's Drug Strategy, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, told an international drugs forum in London that Ireland, particularly Dublin, has a major problem with ‘street injecting'.

"These drug users are at increased risk of overdose and blood-borne disease infections, and the general public is at risk owing to unsafe disposal of syringes and other drug paraphernalia," he explained.

He pointed to a recent report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction which found that supervised drug-taking facilities ‘can be an effective intervention in harm reduction and a means to encourage drug users to enter treatment'.

"These facilities have been shown to be effective in engaging difficult-to-reach populations of drug users. This is especially the case for marginalised groups, such as the homeless, and those who use drugs on the streets or in other risky and unhygienic conditions," he noted.

He said that he had asked officials in his department to examine proposals for the provision of medically supervised injecting facilities as a response to this issue, which would be in line with similar models in Sydney and parts of Europe.

It has now been confirmed that the Government has approved additional heads for inclusion in the Misuse of Drugs(Amendment) Bill 2015 to allow for such injecting centres.

Minister Ó Ríordáin said he was ‘delighted' to get Cabinet approval for the proposal.

"These facilities can help in harm reduction and alleviate some of the complex needs of a vulnerable and hard-to-reach group of addicts. They are not the only solution to addressing drug addiction but will play a significant role in reducing street injecting and drug-related deaths," he commented.

Research published by the Health Research Board this week showed that 387 people died in 2013 as a result of drug overdoses and one in five of these deaths was due to heroin.

"The establishment of supervised injecting facilities will allow for earlier medical intervention in the case of overdoses and can also act as a gateway to treatment for drug users. I look forward to this proposal being developed further in the New Year when the Bill is published," Minister Ó Ríordáin added.