313. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the rationale behind the proposed project to test wastewater to measure the levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites excreted in urine; the means by which she expects this project will inform policy and local responses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54062/25]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Minister of State at the Department of Health: The drug market is continually evolving, with new and more dangerous substances emerging regularly. Wastewater analysis has the unique potential to identify and monitor emerging trends for a wide-ranging number of health issues including the detection of viruses and the surveillance of the use of prescription medications and controlled substances. Through sampling a source of wastewater, such as a sewage influent to a wastewater treatment plant, scientists can measure the levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites excreted in urine, which can then be used to estimate the quantity of drugs consumed by a community. By formally testing, it can identify the true spectrum of drugs being consumed rather than relying on individual recollection or belief such as through general population surveys. As a result, wastewater analysis has provided the most accurate evidence of substance use in countries and has been adapted internationally to support drug monitoring and early warning activities.

Earlier this year, a pilot project was conducted with the support of the Sewage Analysis CORe Group Europe (The SCORE Network) which meant that Irish data was included in the annual review conducted by the EU Drugs Agency for the first time. This review identified high levels of the use of drugs used in the night-time economy such as cocaine, MDMA and ketamine, despite ketamine not being captured in other areas of research in Ireland. The project demonstrates how this method can be used to monitor trends across regions and countries and to better understand new and emerging drug trends.

The Department of Health is committed to providing harm reduction services and early warning and emergency responses to novel drugs. In 2025, the Department provided additional funding of €0.4m to the HSE for harm reduction initiatives to provide a rapid response to the threat of synthetic drugs. This funding included a wastewater drug surveillance programme, a national awareness campaign and capacity building on drug-related violence and intimidation, and extended opening hours for the supervised injecting facility. This funding rises to €0.43m in 2026.

The objective of the wastewater analysis initiative is to support the work of the HSE Emerging Drug Trend Programme, which aims to enhance current public health drug monitoring activities in Ireland to identify and respond to emerging health threats in a timely manner to reduce harms.

A tender process is currently underway to undertake a project to analyse drugs in wastewater. It is anticipated that this process will be completed before the end of 2025. The successful candidate will review national drug trends from samples obtained across a number of wastewater treatment facilities. This approach will provide real time information on drugs used at a population level and will inform the implementation of the successor national drugs strategy.

I believe that Ireland must actively monitor and respond to emerging drug trends and public health threats. This will be a core theme in the successor national drugs strategy currently being drafted.