SNP Government Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance has confirmed that she backs the principle that people suffering from addiction should have a right to treatment.
Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, she said the proposals in the Scottish Conservatives Right to Recovery Bill which will be officially lodged by party Leader Douglas Ross today will be given a “fair and sympathetic hearing.”
Annemarie Ward from Charity FAVOR UK, who helped to draft the bill alongside the party has also welcomed Angela Constance’s change of direction towards the proposed legislation.
The consultation period on the Right to Recovery Bill showed over three-quarter of respondents supported the proposals.
A separate Scottish Government review into Residential Rehabilitation published today shows it can reduce substance misuse and improve health and quality of life.
Shadow Health Secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane says “the signs are positive” that the SNP are considering backing a right to recovery, to help tackle Scotland’s drug deaths crisis. A record 1,339 people lost their lives to drugs in Scotland in 2020.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, said: “This shift in language from the SNP Drugs Minister is welcome. The consultation period on our Right to Recovery Bill showed that over three-quarter of respondents backed plans to guarantee treatment for those suffering with addiction.
“The Bill was drafted alongside frontline experts who are overwhelmingly positive about these plans. There is no one single measure that can help tackle the scandal of Scotland’s drug deaths but a guarantee of being able to access treatment can signal a new approach in that fight.
“As the proposals are officially lodged by Douglas Ross, it is positive that the SNP Minister responsible has an open mind towards this legislation. The SNP Government’s own review into rehabilitation shows the positive impact it can have on those who need treatment the most.
“I hope that the Minister’s remarks can signal a shift towards Government support for these proposals to ensure a Right to Recovery is put into law as soon as possible.”
Notes: Annemarie Ward’s tweet is here: https://twitter.com/favoruk/status/1531175568405929986?s=21&t=he5cwW8XsZhTSFiyRwYPRg
The Scottish Government’s review into residential rehabilitation can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/residential-rehabilitation-review-existing-literature-identification-research-gaps-within-scottish-context/
A transcript of Angela Constance’s interview on Good Morning Scotland is below.
Laura Maciver: “Is that the main problem here that is this, the length of time that getting into any form of treatment is taking for people?“
Angela Constance: “Well part of our national mission which is backed by 250 million pounds, is about supporting people to get the right treatment that is right for them at the right time. And in terms of the proposition put forward by Douglas Ross and his colleagues. I've always said it would be given a fair and sympathetic hearing. We will consider that the draft bill and the consultation analysis and so forth when that detail becomes available, and we're committed to working across government, parliament, and beyond to turn the tide on drug related deaths in Scotland."
Laura Maciver: “The Conservatives put the bill out for consultation back in October, 35 organisations around 150 individuals have considered the bill and its contents and responded already, those responses were published a month ago. So could you not have had a look at it and made up your mind by now as to whether you support any of it?"
Angela Constance: “Well, of course Mr. Ross isn't at the stage where he has actually published a full bill, but of course I think there is a consensus across Parliament about making people's rights a reality. I suppose the discussion is always how best you do that and, as with any legislation, I will want to look closely at how it is implemented in practice. I will want to ensure that it's, you know, genuinely inclusive of all evidence based treatment including harm reduction, and we'll want to see how it aligns with our public health approach that we've taken in Scotland and of course, much of what the Conservatives and indeed others have been calling for we are already proceeding with as part of a national mission."
Laura Maciver: “And if you're already proceeding with it, what would be the problem then with giving people a legal right to recovery, the method that they want."
Angela Constance: “Well of course, legal right have to be implemented in practice. And, you know, I've never ruled out legislation and that's why we're progressing with the National Care Service which is about delivering on the ground better joined up care, particularly for people with complex needs who need more than one service. It's why we've got a commitment to introduce a human rights bill. And I also think the work of the National collaborative of the lived and living experience community will be very important in this regard because I suspect that they will bring forward proposals to develop and monitor accountability and will want to hold government both locally and nationally to account.“
Laura Maciver: “And perhaps those could be amendments to the bill. Have you read what's been put forward so far and the responses to it so far? Can you agree on any of it?"
Angela Constance: “So I mean, I agree with the principle, that people should have a right to treatment. I mean, that's why we've invested or will invest 100 million pounds over the lifetime of this Parliament in residential rehabilitation, it's why we invest in both practical and financial support to embed new standards of care and treatment. That's the mass standards, and –“
Laura Maciver: “But if you agree that people should have a right to treatment, then why not support this bill and just give it the support that it needs now to push it through Parliament as quickly as possible."
Angela Constance: “So this is where scrutiny works both ways. What Mr. Ross and the Conservatives have brought forward, now I've always said it will be given a very fair and sympathetic hearing. We will want to look at the detail, I mean what they are lodging today is a final proposition, and they, once they secure a certain level of support within parliament, that will then give them the right to bring forward a bill so we're still to see the actual bill"
Laura Maciver: “So you could give them that support today, and then that would push forward their bill it would mean that you would see that detail sooner rather than later."
Angela Constance: “But I want to see the bill first. It's not, I mean I'm not being unreasonable here or unhelpful Laura, this is about how we make people's rights real in practice on the ground, and we are doing that by investing and reforming services. We of course have our own legislative programme which is around the national care service, human rights bill, and we'll be listening very closely to the National collaborative, which is very much about ensuring people have the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health care."
Laura Maciver: “In the last year, more than 1300 individuals died from taking drugs. We've got the Scottish Conservatives putting forward a bill today giving a right to recovery treatment and we had a Paul Sweeney from Labour put forward a bill for drug treatment rooms last week. We're not seeing very much from government."
Angela Constance: “Well actually you'll see 250 million pounds that will be delivered over the lifetime of this parliament. I have outlined to parliament -"
Laura Maciver: “How do you make sure that's actually working though because we've seen an awful lot of money invested in drugs treatment over the last decade, but it doesn't seem to be working given that the number of drugs deaths has tripled."
Angela Constance: “Well, that was the subject of a statement I made to parliament just last week, which was about how we will monitor and evaluate the impact of the significant additional investment that we are currently making. I'm very committed to the Scottish Government been held to account I want to see accountability –“
Laura Maciver: “Do you think the drugs deaths will have gone up again in July whenever the next figures are out?"
Angela Constance: “Well, I'm not going to make any predictions because, I never have, because that would be a very cruel thing to do to families I mean the figures will speak for themselves."
Laura Maciver: “We heard there from Annemarie Ward, from Faces and Voices of Recovery, she says Glasgow has a 47 million pound treatment budget nearly half a million pounds of that spent on getting people clean."
Angela Constance: “Well, it's important that Glasgow are accountable for what they deliver on the ground. I know from the Scottish Government's end that we are investing more financial and practical support than ever before."
Laura Maciver: “More money is going in and it's not actually getting people off drugs, does that sound like a problem to you?"
Angela Constance: “Well, what I was going to say Laura, the Scottish Government is also publishing, gathered and publishing more information, more evidence than ever before about what is working where on the ground. I think it's really important to remember that what we are trying to build, what we have currently invested in is that whole system of care, and that includes Residential Rehabilitation. That includes the mass standards which is about informed choice, same day treatment. We are also investing significantly in mental health systems. We are trying to reorientate our criminal justice systems so that it's more trauma informed and treatment focused. So the purpose of our national mission is to make sure that drug policy isn't viewed in isolation, that it's a big cross-government agenda and it's all about getting the right treatment, irrespective of what that treatment is for an individual.“