Correspondence regarding drugs policy and right to recovery bill: FOI release

Information requested

1. Minutes from all meetings between UK Government and Scottish Government regarding drugs policy between July 1 2023 and the date of this FOI.

2. All correspondence received and sent by the Scottish Government regarding the right to recovery bill introduced by the Scottish Conservatives between March 1 2023 and the date of this FOI.

3. All correspondence and briefings received or written for Humza Yousaf when he was health secretary between June 2021 and March 2023 regarding the use of Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in NHS buildings.

4. Full list of media requests made to interview Michael Matheson and all of his junior ministers between March 28 and the date of this FOI including the date, who requested and whether it was accepted or rejected.

5. In 2021, the Scottish Government promised heroin assisted treatment and overdose prevention centres to prevent high levels of drug deaths. What progress has been made on these so far?

Response

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested.

The answers to your questions are as follows:

1. Minutes from all meetings between UK Government and Scottish Government regarding drugs policy between July 1 2023 and the date of this FOI.

Please refer to the attached document.

2. All correspondence received and sent by the Scottish Government regarding the right to recovery bill introduced by the Scottish Conservatives between March 1 2023 and the date of this FOI.

Please refer to the attached document.

3. All correspondence and briefings received or written for Humza Yousaf when he was health secretary between June 2021 and March 2023 regarding the use of Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in NHS buildings.

We hold no information in relation to this request.

4. Full list of media requests made to interview Michael Matheson and all of his junior ministers between March 28 and the date of this FOI including the date, who requested and whether it was accepted or rejected.

Please refer to the attached document.

5. In 2021, the Scottish Government promised heroin assisted treatment and overdose prevention centres to prevent high levels of drug deaths. What progress has been made on these so far?

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting local areas take forward evidence-based harm reduction measures that will help to save and improve lives at risk from problematic drug use. The international evidence on safer drug consumption facilities is clear and we welcome the Lord Advocate’s statement on the proposed pilot to be set up in Glasgow. That pilot alongside the heroin assisted treatment (HAT) pilot in Glasgow will help build the evidence for introduction by other local areas, particularly in cities.

That Enhanced Drug Treatment Service pilot opened in Glasgow in November 2019. As of August 2023 the service had treated 32 different patients and 25 patients attend with 22 on active injecting plans.

Ministers have met with other Alcohol and Drug Partnerships alongside HAT providers from other parts of the UK as well as from Canada to encourage them to consider offering a HAT service and the Scottish Government has supported local areas to understand the Home Office licence application process and other permissions which would be required to set a treatment facility up. We have also funded Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership to consider options for a HAT project in Dundee. Since 2021 a £400k fund has been available for ADPs to undertake feasibility studies to for opening facilities in their areas.

Redactions
Please note that we have redacted some names from the information provided for questions 1 and 2 - which we have done under Section 38 of FOI(S)A.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202300372369 - Information Released - Annex A to C

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21 page PDF

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329.4 kB