- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not established a drug checking service, such as WEDINOS, which was launched by NHS Wales in 2013, and whether it has any plans to establish a similar service in the future.
Answer
The Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce has funded a project through Stirling University to research and develop the key components required to implement Drug Checking facilities in three areas in Scotland (Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen). Research began in January 2021 and will conclude with an evaluation report in January 2023. The project will also include a parallel programme of implementation.
The project team has committed to submitting applications to the Home Office in early 2022. Assuming support from the Home Office is forthcoming, we expect services to be established in Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow in 2022.
We have highlighted our desire to introduce these facilities to the Home Office as any activity which involves the possession of controlled drugs would require a Home Office licence. Kit Malthouse, the UK Government Minister for Policing, has indicated that he is open to discussing this with the Scottish Government and conversations have taken place between Scottish and UK officials to progress this.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Drugs Policy on 17 June 2021 about Public Health Scotland’s ongoing surveillance work (Official Report, c.57), how many people (a) have died and (b) were admitted to hospital in connection with the consumption of (i) isotonitazene and (ii) other synthetic opioids in 2021, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
Unfortunately, we do not hold the information requested.
National Records of Scotland produce an annual National Statistics publication each year on drug-related deaths in Scotland. The most recent year for which this drug death information is available is 2020. The next report, covering drug-related deaths during 2021, is due to be published in summer 2022.
Public Health Scotland information on hospital activity relating to illicit drug use in Scotland does not identify the substances specified - heroin and methadone are the only opioids with specific ICD-10 diagnostic codes (ICD-10 refers to ‘International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision, the international standard diagnostic classification for all general epidemiological, health management purposes and clinical use).
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Drugs Policy on 17 June 2021 about more regular reporting of drug-related deaths by the National Records of Scotland (Official Report, c.57), when the first such report will be published, and how many reports will be published in each year.
Answer
From September 2021 we have introduced quarterly reporting of suspected drug-related deaths, providing far more timely data on the DRD crisis/situation for the first time. This report uses management information from Police Scotland on suspected drug deaths. The second publication of these suspected figures was in December 2021 and covered the period from July to September 2021 ( ). The next report will be published in March 2022 and will cover suspected deaths up to the end of December 2021.
We continue to work with Police Scotland, Public Health Scotland and National Records of Scotland to review the surveillance data we have, review quality and determine whether additional information could be published in the future.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 11 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) have died and (b) were admitted to hospital in connection with the consumption of synthetic opioids in 2020, broken down by (i) the specific substance and (ii) NHS board.
Answer
National Records of Scotland produce an annual National Statistics publication each year on drug-related deaths in Scotland. The most recent report provides information on drug-related deaths details in 2020 and earlier years. Section 7 of the report provides an overview of drug-related deaths by substances implicated. Tables SUB1 and SUB2 provide information on the substances which were reported for drug-related deaths in Scotland between 2000 and 2020. Tables HBX and CX provide figures for individual drugs, for NHS Boards and councils. Annex E and Table NPS1 provide information relating to New Psychoactive Substances.
The full report and supplementary tables can be accessed from the following link:
Hospital admissions
Public Health Scotland information on hospital activity relating to illicit drug use in Scotland are not specific enough to identify the substances specified (heroin and methadone are the only opioids with specific ICD-10 diagnostic codes).
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the drug-related deaths that were included in the National Records for Scotland (NRS) Homeless Deaths reports for 2017-2020, were also included in the drug-related deaths figures that were published by the NRS in each year between 2017 and 2020.
Answer
The Homeless Death report used classifications (known as ICD-10) for cause of death and the established National Records of Scotland definition of a drug-related death (see ). Therefore, all drug-related deaths reported within the NRS Homeless Death Report will also be included in the National Records of Scotland drug-related death report.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 2021
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on its commitment to increase the number of employee-owned businesses in Scotland to 500 by 2030.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2021
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how it is engaging with, and investing in, the live performance sector to support its recovery.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2021
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 23 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the projected cost is of the national marketing campaign to reduce the stigmatisation of people with a drug problem; how long it will run for; whether it is being targeted to particular locations, and how it is being funded.
Answer
We know that people with experience of drug problems, either through their own use or by association often experience stigma and discrimination that can be a barrier to people accessing help and support. We must all act to end the stigma associated with problem drug use.
As part of our efforts to tackle societal stigma, we are launching a national campaign to reduce stigma. The projected cost of the campaign is £900,000 and has been funded by the Scottish Government’s ‘Reducing Drug Deaths’ budget.
The campaign will launch in early December, and run until late February for a total of 8 weeks. The campaign is not targeted to particular locations and will run across Scotland, but utilise regional and local media as well as national media.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 23 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Drugs Policy on 26 October 2021 that there will be a "rapid review of the services that are required to support people who experience mental health and substance use problems" (Official Report, c. 69), who will carry out the review; whether it will provide further details of the review’s remit, and when it anticipates (a) the review will be completed and (b) a report will be published.
Answer
This rapid review will be carried out by people with clinical expertise and will set out expectations for the delivery of support for people who experience mental health and substance use problems. It will involve key stakeholders and be led by the views of people with lived and living experience. The remit of the review will include, but is not limited to, the following:
- The provision of assessment and specialist support for people who experience a dual diagnosis of a mental health condition alongside their substance use problem;
- The delivery of psychosocial support to people with substance use problems in settings which include third sector and primary care;
- The impact of additional, multiple and severe disadvantages on the need for, and delivery of, appropriate mental health and substance use services.
The review will be completed and a report will be published in late Autumn 2022.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 23 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Drugs Policy on 26 October regarding holistic support for families (Official Report, c. 69), how much of the £3.5 million of funding for the current financial year has been allocated to each alcohol and drug partnership to support the mental health and wellbeing of family members affected by drug use.
Answer
As part of our national mission to reduce drug related deaths and improve lives, we have provided Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) with £3.5 million per year to support the implementation of the Whole Family Approach Framework. This will improve holistic family support for anyone affected by harms from drug or alcohol use.
Table 1 shows how much of this funding has been allocated to each ADP, advised to ADPs by letter on 17 June 2021.
Table 1:
*Figures have been rounded.
Alcohol and Drug Partnership | Allocation (£) |
Aberdeen City | 133,437 |
Aberdeenshire | 147,380 |
Angus | 75,617 |
Argyll and Bute | 66,566 |
Clackmannanshire and Stirling | 89,794 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 104,719 |
Dundee City | 101,420 |
East Ayrshire | 83,642 |
East Dunbartonshire | 64,896 |
East Lothian | 65,061 |
East Renfrewshire | 55,698 |
Edinburgh | 292,849 |
Falkirk | 100,797 |
Fife | 238,447 |
Glasgow City | 417,575 |
Highland | 164,162 |
Inverclyde | 57,076 |
Midlothian | 56,362 |
Moray | 60,013 |
North Ayrshire | 95,016 |
North Lanarkshire | 222,004 |
Orkney Islands | 17,546 |
Perth and Kinross | 96,334 |
Renfrewshire | 118,893 |
Scottish Borders | 74,416 |
Shetland Islands | 17,095 |
South Ayrshire | 79,487 |
South Lanarkshire | 207,274 |
West Dunbartonshire | 63,301 |
West Lothian | 109,727 |
Western Isles | 23,398 |
Total | £3,500,000 |
