Chamber and committees

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to tackle cancer inequalities. (S6T-01004)

I would be grateful to take the cabinet secretary up on his offer. As he knows, academics and public health experts argue that it is impossible to tackle health inequalities without addressing wealth and income disparity. Public Health Scotland argues that a reasonable income, sufficient welfare provision and what it calls an active labour market policy are essential for healthy living.

Will the Scottish Government be willing to carry out research to analyse whether those policies are being enacted, or whether an attempt is being made to enact them, particularly in deprived communities?

This week, Cancer Research UK reported that, each year, around 4,900 extra cancer cases are linked to deprivation in Scotland. What proposals will the Scottish Government lay out in its upcoming cancer strategy that specifically address that challenge?

Minister, picking up on the point about your dialogue with Westminster, it is clear that the UK Government is taking a very different approach, which has been far more punitive than the public health approach that is being discussed here today. On the basis of the discussions that you have had so far, what scope is there to be able to do genuinely different things in Scotland? I appreciate that it has been a changing scene in Westminster and that you will meet a different person in December to those you have met before, but where are you in the discussions about having divergence in Scotland and being able to go ahead with some of the things that are within our competence, such as consumption rooms, as well as to consider other initiatives? How do you feel that you are getting on with that? Are you able to focus on specific proposals in your discussions?

Minister, as you are well aware, drug deaths are significantly higher in Scotland than in other parts of Europe. From the work that you have been involved with so far, and all the work that has been carried out, have you been able to come to any conclusions as to why that is? What evidence is there to show why we fare so badly?

As the minister knows, it is a national facility, so it will not be people just from North Ayrshire who use it. The facility is for families, so it will be suitable for people with young children in particular. The minister is perhaps highlighting the need for a range of different types of facility, suitable for the individual’s needs. Most important, such facilities must be available when that individual needs and is asking for assistance. The key to success is often that facilities are available when the individual is looking for them.

We understand that it is very common for people who experience problems with drugs also to have significant problems with mental health and alcohol abuse. A recent report from Public Health England highlighted that mental health problems are experienced by a majority—70 per cent—of users who are in community substance abuse treatment. Other research, such as that published in the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that pointing to examples of successful harm reduction programmes can reduce the stigma around drug use. Therefore, it is important that discussions are taking place in this Parliament not only about stigma but about what is and should be available.

I do not have a huge amount of time left. I welcome the Government motion. There needs to be a recognition that Scotland has failed and that the high levels of drug deaths are an indicator of that failure. However, I believe that many of the recommendations and action points in the report are part of the pathway that we need to go forward. I look forward to hearing in detail from the minister how the Government will respond to all the recommendations and recommended actions.

The task force report contains 20 recommendations and 139 actions. Will you put on record whether you accept all those recommendations and actions, and whether the Scottish Government is going to pursue all of them?

So will we hear more on that?

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

I agree with the convener of the Criminal Justice Committee that the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 has failed. However, although that legislation is in place throughout the UK, in Scotland, we have a significantly higher drug deaths rate than the rates in the rest of the nations of the UK. Clearly, that is just one factor, and many other factors drive the very significant problems that we have in Scotland.

The system currently fails those who are seeking support with drug addiction, and the high levels of drug deaths in Scotland clearly highlight that failure. In total, 1,330 people lost their lives to drugs misuse in Scotland in 2021, which was the second highest annual total on record. We have a consistent problem with the worst death rates in Europe, and areas such as the west of Scotland have some of the worst statistics in the country.

In North Ayrshire, 39 deaths were recorded—the highest number in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area. The minister has already spoken about the facility that has opened recently in Saltcoats. North Ayrshire has the fourth highest level of drug deaths in the country, but, when we look at some of the other economic drivers in North Ayrshire, unfortunately, the area often has some of the worst statistics, such as higher levels of domestic abuse, poor levels of employability and high levels of poverty and deprivation, and many of the other economic drivers highlight the lack of opportunity and hope.

I welcome the debate and the Government’s focus on stigma in its motion. As the minister knows, the creation of a national stigma action plan is one of 20 recommendations in the task force report, along with 139 actions, and the task force argues the importance of stigma as an underlying component in the drug deaths crisis.

Scotland consistently has the worst drug deaths figures in Europe. There are many reasons for that and, as Willie Coffey has just said, the lack of hope and opportunities in communities is clearly a major factor. In the last year that we have figures for, there were 14,310 drug-related hospital stays, and approximately half the patients with a drug-related hospital stay came from the most deprived areas of Scotland. The Labour amendment recognises the need for

“policies that address poverty, deprivation and Scotland’s wider health inequalities”

as part of the strategy to address the issues.