Sturgeon admits drug deaths are ‘indefensible’

Criticisms of failure ‘valid’ but she won’t sack minister

NICOLA Sturgeon has admitted her Government’s record on drugs is ‘indefensible’ after the latest shocking rise in deaths.

She said yesterday that many criticisms of the SNP’s failure to tackle the crisis are ‘valid and legitimate’.

The First Minister faced forensic questioning from opponents at Holyrood after figures this week showed Scotland has the highest rate of drug deaths in Europe.

Fatalities last year soared to a record high of more than 1,200 – at least three a day on average.

But she rejected calls to sack her beleaguered drugs minister Joe FitzPatrick despite appearing to distance herself from some of his assertions on the issue. In a further blow to his credibility, Miss Sturgeon also said she would take personal charge of the response to the drugs crisis.

She said: ‘The figures that were published this week are completely unacceptable and therefore no one will hear political answers from me on this subject today. We have much to do to sort this out – and sorting it out is our responsibility, and it is a serious responsibility.’

In a notable change of approach, she avoided demanding extra powers to deal

‘I accept we have not done enough’

with the crisis and refused to blame the UK Government. She said it was ‘ right and proper’ not to ‘try to defend a position that is indefensible’, adding: ‘ Instead, I accept candidly that we have not done enough and that, although there is serious work under way, we have to ask ourselves whether it is enough and whether it is going fast enough.

‘I am not going to shy away from that and I am not going to try to defend things that I should not stand here and do.’

Miss Sturgeon said she was not satisfied that the 365 rehab beds in Scotland in the private and public sector were sufficient, ‘or that they are being used sufficiently’.

She said she would attend a meeting of the drugs death taskforce next month and would make a statement to MSPs on action that will be taken by the end of January.

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives at Holyrood, condemned failings on drug rehab and highlighted that the number of NHS patients treated at the ‘ world class’ Castle Craig f acility i n Peeblesshire has slumped from 257 in 2002 to 145 in 2008 and only five last year.

She also pointed out that some of the country’s top facilities are full of people from other countries paying to use them because the SNP Government is not funding places. She said: ‘They are treating people from Eindhoven and Amsterdam, while people in Possil and Dundee are dying.

‘Can I ask the First Minister, why did her Government stop funding these beds? And how many lives has that decision cost?’ Miss Sturgeon confirmed that 100 of the 365 drug rehab beds are taken up by non-residents of Scotland.

She said: ‘I think many of the criticisms that are being made of the Government are valid and legitimate, and we have got much work to do.’ Her official spokesman later insisted that she does have confidence that Mr FitzPatrick can turn around performance – but refused to be drawn on what difference the minister has made to drugs policy.

AFTER the toughest of years, all of us want to wind down and see relatives we’ve badly missed. But the guidance on the relaxation of Covid curbs over Christmas is in hopeless disarray.

The initial set of dispensations meant families could get together during a period of five days. Now ministers are in retreat – and there’s a bewildering array of caveats and conditions.

To make matters worse, John Swinney raised the prospect of parts of Scotland facing a return to full lockdown after the festive period.

Restrictions are set to be escalated in much of England from tomorrow, meaning two-thirds of the population will be subject to the strictest rules.

It’s all too clear that further turmoil lies ahead – and we won’t know exactly what’s in store until a lockdown review on Tuesday.

There’s also the implicit threat that we may once again go our own way, departing from the ‘four nations’ approach, which is already fragmenting.

With the prospect of a lurch back to the highest tier of lockdown on the horizon, many will feel the likely consequence of greater flexibility over Christmas is simply too great a price to pay.

It’s important to acknowledge that rising case numbers and disturbing forecasts of worse to come are driving the decisionmaking of ministers and their advisers.

And i t’s an unenviable task, as i t’s impossible to find a solution that will satisfy everyone, while trying to keep coronavirus at bay. But longer-term compliance with Covid guidance is still vitally important, even with the rollout of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the problem of social isolation for the elderly and vulnerable at this time of year can’t be ignored.

Ministers are effectively urging us not to take advantage of a more relaxed regime – for which they are responsible.

Reserves of public goodwill are likely to run dry if there’s yet another change of tack. But none of us wants to help the spread of this devastating i l l ness, j ust as the vaccination programme gets under way.

There must be a workable compromise that salvages Christmas in some form – while simultaneously avoiding an explosion in Covid case numbers.

This dangerous muddle, affecting millions of f amilies, must end now – before governments in Edinburgh and London lose all credibility.