Plan to have drug testing pilot scheme at big Belfast gigs blocked by Stormont

A motion calling for council-owned sites hosting music festivals to have drug testing and harm reduction facilities was unanimously supported earlier this year

A plan to have a drug testing pilot at major gigs in Belfast has been effectively blocked by the Stormont Health department.

A motion that was passed by Belfast City Council calling for council-owned sites hosting music festivals and large-scale events to have drug testing and harm reduction facilities was unanimously supported at City Hall earlier this year.

The motion called on public bodies including the Public Health Agency and Belfast Trust, alongside those in the community and voluntary sector, to explore the feasibility of a pilot. It also requested an internal report on the potential role of the council in supporting and facilitating a service, with particular reference to legal and regulatory considerations.

READ MORE: Stormont proposes reopening pedestrianised Belfast city centre road to vehicles

READ MORE: Human remains could be found at £8.6million luxury flat project in former Magdalene Laundry

However a report put before elected representatives at the June meeting of the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee said after contact with Stormont it was made clear that at present there was “no legislative framework, funding mechanism or operational model in place that would enable Belfast City Council to establish or directly deliver drug and pill testing facilities at events.”

The Department of Health told the council that drug and pill testing services involve “significant legal and regulatory considerations under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971” and would require appropriate licences and approvals to possess, transport, analyse and dispose of controlled drugs. DoH said that no formal application for such a licence has been received to date in Northern Ireland.

In Great Britain, such licences are issued by the Home Office. In Northern Ireland, responsibility would fall to the Department of Health’s Medicines Regulatory Group.

DoH said that any proposal would represent a “novel application” and would require detailed assessment and engagement before any licensing arrangements could be considered.

The council report states: “The Department of Health has advised that there is currently no central government funding programme available to support drug testing facilities at festivals and events.

“Whilst examples of on-site testing facilities exist elsewhere in the United Kingdom, these are generally associated with large-scale or multi-day festivals and operate within differing legal and policy frameworks.

“The Department has further advised that the current Northern Ireland Substance Use Strategy, Preventing Harm, Empowering Recovery, does not contain actions relating to the introduction of festival-based drug testing services. Any future policy proposal to introduce such services would presumably require consideration at Executive level.”

The council motion, tabled by Alliance Councillor Micky Murray, and seconded by Green Councillor Brian Smyth, states: ““This council supports harm reduction approaches to drug use, particularly in the context of festivals and nightlife events. It acknowledges the rising public concerns around drug-related harm, and notes that traditional approaches focused solely on enforcement have not eliminated the presence or use of illicit substances at major events.”

At the June S P and R Committee meeting, Belfast councillors aired their disappointment at the reply from Stormont.

Councillor Micky Murray said: “If the Department of Health isn’t going to take a leadership position to get this off the ground, then we need to, as the organisation that gives the licences for major festivals in the city. And a large part of it is on our land.

“I want to propose that instead of just waiting for someone else to do this, that we get together a roundtable of all the people that need to be involved.” He proposed the council host a meeting of all the relevant bodies with a view to lining up a licence for a future pilot.

Councillor Brian Smyth said: “I am really frustrated at this. The department’s approach is really typical of how harm reduction gets handled here.

“They are framing this as a policy vacuum rather than public safety. They are leaning heavily on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, but the legislation applies across the UK. And yet we have drugs checking services that already operate in England and Wales.

“The law hasn’t changed, what has changed is interpretation, a willingness in leadership, and licensing. There are organisations such as the Loop that operate legally at festivals using Home Office licences for analysis of controlled substances.”

He said: “This isn’t some sort of legislative miracle that we need, it is more of a political and administrative choice. I have got to ask, is this coming directly from the Minister after his political party has taken a much more conservative approach to law and order?

“As a council we already regulate for crowd safety, medical risk, fire provision etc, so drug checking should fit comfortably alongside these areas. It reduces hospitalisations, overdosing and death, and evidence shows it changes behaviour.

“At festivals in GB where the Loop operates, a significant proportion of users have disposed of substances after testing flagged up risk. We already required promoters to mitigate foreseeable risks.

“Drug use at festivals is foreseeable, so ignoring that risk is not some sort of neutral position, it is a failure around duty of care. There is a huge inconsistency in our current approach.”

He said: “The DoH in the report say they support amnesty bins, public support messaging, and forensic testing within a 48 hour turnaround. But they are rejecting on-site testing that informs users in the here and now.

“A 48 hour turnaround is absolutely useless in a festival that is live and ongoing. We are already accepting the presence of drugs through amnesty bins, the question is whether we accept reality to prevent harm in the here and now, or continue with measures that are knowingly too late to save lives.”

He said: “The department is effectively saying there is no policy, so no funding. No funding so there is no pilot, no pilot so no evidence to create policy. I think this is a really dangerous cop-out.”

He proposed the council write to the DoH to ask for a formal paper on what would be required to issue a licence in Northern Ireland for a pilot in 2027, and to write to the same department to include drug testing in the next update on the Preventing Harm Empowering Recovery DoH 10 year strategy. He also proposed Belfast Council design an operational model for when licensing is enabled for a drug testing pilot.

The committee agreed proposals by both councillors, and extra suggestions from other elected representatives, including best international practice and the potential for cross-border cooperation with the Republic. The committee decision will go to the full council next week for ratification.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.