Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee, 19 Jan 2000

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 19, 2000

Official Report 173KB pdf

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Drugs Inquiry

We will now turn to the refocusing of the drugs inquiry. Those who were given the task of recommending an adviser recommend the appointment of Laurence Gruer. The details have still to be agreed, but the committee will recommend that appointment.

Keith Raffan and I met Laurence and agreed broadly what the focus of the inquiry should be. That focus did not move wildly away from what the committee had already agreed. Laurence will draft in detail what he thinks we should focus on, including a programme of visits. I can reassure the committee that the broad range of interests and issues that have been flagged up by members will be considered.

We will consider different models of practice, talk to key interest groups, engage with professionals and consider the Executive's model and criticisms of it. The focus will be on the social deprivation side, which Laurence Gruer highlighted in his presentation. I did not want to bring that up today, because I feel that we need Laurence's help. Initially, his role will be to help us refocus and to draw up a programme of visits. He is going to India for a few weeks to do a series of presentations, and while he is away we will get started. When he comes back, we will be able to move forward.

I endorse totally what the convener has said. Anyone who heard Laurence Gruer at the briefing will know how impressive he is. Although based at Greater Glasgow Health Board, he is very aware of the need to look beyond the west of Scotland to the rural areas, Dundee and so on, to ensure that the rural and small-town dimension is not lost. In those areas, it can be much more difficult to provide services than in an inner city.

I think that Laurence is going to India for only a week or 10 days, in case anyone is worried.

My second point was about written evidence and whether moves are being made to advertise for it. It is important that we get that evidence as early as possible.

I spoke to Laurence Gruer about that and he can give us advice about the form of words. He told me that it is important that we get that right—if not, we could be overwhelmed with evidence. He is liaising with Martin Verity on that.

The point that I wanted to make—about how we get evidence and ensure that it is properly focused—has just been covered. I could not attend the briefing, but I have known Laurence Gruer for years and am impressed with the work that he has done and the approach that he has taken. He will be an asset to the committee.

I welcome the appointment of Laurence Gruer, who has the respect both of people whom he has helped to treat and of professionals and academics. He has an open mind and has seen many different models in different places. The convener and the clerk should be commended for seeking him out.

I hope that the drug misuse debate on Thursday will give us a proper indication of the Parliament's feeling on the issue. That will be useful for us as we go into this inquiry. We may know what our immediate colleagues think about the subject, but the debate will give us a broader picture. Let us hope that it is an open debate that influences our work programme. We should pay attention to it and consider all the issues that it raises.

Lloyd's point about the debate is helpful. The debate is well timed. Having talked to Laurence Gruer for some time, Keith Raffan and I felt that he had come up with a package of visits that we will find interesting. We will shortly begin visits, so I ask members to prepare their diaries. Yesterday, Martin Verity met Fiona Hyslop and John McAllion to consider the housing timetable, and we will make a final decision on the programme of visits for the drugs inquiry next week.

We are scheduled to go to Stirling on 21 February for a meeting in the afternoon. As we are going there anyway, it might be useful to ask Laurence Gruer to fit in some visits to organisations in the area, such as Locals against Drugs in Alloa—which Richard Simpson thinks is very good—and Off the Record in Stirling.

That would be helpful.

In the discussion that we had yesterday, we suggested housing visits on 21 February.

I am sorry.

We do not all have to go on the same visits. Members who are interested in the drugs inquiry can do drugs visits, and those who are interested in housing can do housing visits. Other committees are splitting up in that way.

It is permissible to do that, but I want to go on both visits. I will ask Martin Verity to come back with recommendations and to contact the appropriate agencies to see what is possible. How many members must go for it to constitute a committee visit?

A visit is not a formal meeting of the committee. It can be incorporated into the proceedings if members report back to the committee.

I realise that we have limited time and that it would be good to deal with two subjects on a visit at the same time, but we must not let geography dictate to us where we take evidence or which projects we visit.

The meeting in Stirling on 21 February will be a formal meeting of the committee, will it not?

It will be a visit with a meeting in the afternoon. I will explain the programme for next week later on, if that is all right.