The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Home Office ignored call for drugs measure – MSP
Joe FitzPatrick noted he is yet to receive a response from Priti Patel
The UK Government has ignored calls to engage with Scotland’s drugs death taskforce, the public health minister has said.
Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick said he was open to cross-border working to tackle the drugs death crisis.
Mr FitzPatrick said he did not want to make a constitutional argument of the issue, but noted Home Secretary Priti Patel had not responded to either of two letters he sent over the summer recess.
He said: “The deaths caused by substance abuse are avoidable. This government, parliament and the nation needs to work together to address this emergency.
“We will continue to press the UK Government to work with us on those vital issues to deliver change.”
He was speaking as he announced further details of the newly-formed Scottish Drug Taskforce, in which people with “lived experience” of addiction would be at the forefront.
The taskforce is to meet for the first time on September 17.
It will be chaired by Professor Catriona Matheson, with representatives from Police Scotland, the Crown Office, Royal College of General Practice, chief medical officer and the chief social work officer.
David Liddell, CEO of Scottish Drugs Forum, said: “We welcome the minister’s statement on the details of the drug deaths task force.
“What we hope will emerge from their work is clear direction on how to impact on the tragic and escalating rates of preventable drug overdose deaths.
“The key aims should be to follow the evidence of what works.
“We need to increase by at least 50% the number of people in drug treatment.
“Also, there is a need to improve access to treatment – people are currently waiting months for access to opioid substitution therapy.”
In 2018 alone, 1,187 people died of drug-induced death, 66 of those in Dundee.
Dundee East MSP Shona Robison hopes Dundee will be at the forefront of treatment initiatives.
She said: “I call for Dundee to be at the forefront of this potentially lifesaving dual diagnostic approach as it is implemented.”
Ms Sturgeon said the Drugs Commission report is being examined and will feed into wider strategies. Extra funding has already been announced, she added.
A Home Office spokesperson said the policing minister has written to Mr Fitzpatrick about the issue.
“Any death related to drug misuse is a tragedy and we are very concerned at the rate of drug deaths in Scotland,” they added.
“We understand that the causes of drug misuse are complex and many of the powers to deal with drug dependency such as healthcare, housing and criminal justice are devolved to Scotland. We will continue to work with the Scottish Government to tackle this problem.”