Chamber and committees

Across nearly a decade in the Parliament representing Scotland’s largest city, I have spoken to many people with a harmful relationship with drugs, and to their families, and almost every time, the message is the same—they just want to stop. They want to end their harmful relationship with drugs, rebuild their lives, contribute positively to society and have a meaningful life once again.

Those people want that more than anything, but much of Scottish Government policy seems to go against that ambition. Everything is geared to making it easier to take drugs, lessen the consequences for those who do and strip away resources from the people who are there to help them, which means fewer opportunities for rehabilitation. That is eating away at the justice system, not least Police Scotland, which is tasked with keeping drugs off our streets and out of our communities.

It is therefore little wonder that the people’s panel on reducing drug harm and deaths was so critical of the Scottish Government and its record on the topic. The panel, which was representative of Scottish society and featured participants of varying ages and backgrounds, was shocked at the Scottish National Party’s lack of urgency in dealing with the drug deaths crisis. It said that the SNP Government, which, let us not forget, has been in charge for the best part of 18 years, has not acted despite being well aware of the evidence.

The most powerful evidence of all is the figure of 1,172 drug deaths—all of those people a loved one—in Scotland in 2023, which reaffirmed our shameful position at the top of the international league table of drug deaths. Scotland has sat at the top of that table since 2018. Since the SNP came to power in 2007, the annual drug deaths total has increased by 158 per cent, and it seems that nothing is getting better. The panel stated:

“the same conversations keep happening, with the same actions being agreed but not enough has been implemented.”

It also stated:

“There is no stability for service providers and users and no consistency of approach.”

The panel was severely critical of the Scottish Government for failing to keep up with the speed with which drug trends are evolving and changing. One theme running through the panel’s report is that people who have a harmful relationship with drugs should be listened to, that they should help to guide future policy and that they should be involved in new projects and support schemes. I gather that the Scottish Government agrees that that is a worthy objective.

The panel made it clear that those people should be involved in designing new projects and support systems, yet I am approached by former drug users all the time who all tell me that more needs to be invested in drug rehabilitation. There is too much pressure on people to remain on methadone instead of being supported towards true recovery, and far too little effort is being put into tackling root causes in the environments where drugs take hold, including areas such as Springburn, where I come from, and the streets in poverty-stricken communities across Scotland. People do not just need treatment; they need opportunities, hope and a real way out.

The families that I speak to who have lost loved ones to drugs or who are supporting loved ones through drug dependency want support to allow them to help the people who mean so much to them. Families and communities across Scotland feel let down by the Government and feel that they are not being listened to. Will the Scottish Government start listening to those people, their families and the communities that they come from?

The scourge of drug use throughout our society runs deep. Understandably, we focus much of our attention on drug deaths and those who are in the most desperate of circumstances socially, financially and emotionally. However, in a report in The Scottish Sun this week, we learned that drugs are infiltrating other areas, too. Last year, the police found that more than 3,000 drivers had drugs in their system. The most astonishing part of that was that the police tested only 6,000 people. More than half of those who were suspected of drug driving were committing that selfish and dangerous crime. They need help and support, too.

For context, the positive rate of those who were breathalysed for drink driving was closer to one in 20, and drug driving eclipses drink driving by three to one in Scotland. Given how high profile and correctly reviled drink driving is, that shows the extent to which Scotland’s drug problems run right through society. I was pleased that, during First Minister’s question time today, the First Minister committed to look at how we can ensure that we focus more on drug driving, as we did with drink driving many years ago.

One action that the Scottish Government could take right now is to back the Scottish Conservatives’ Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill. The bill would achieve a number of things but, crucially, it would enshrine in law an individual’s right to access the treatment and care that they need. It would immediately put a vulnerable individual whose life has been wrecked by drugs on to a positive path. It would allow them to hope—possibly for the first time—that they can have a future without drugs. In contrast, the Scottish Government’s policies are designed to take away hope and to regard those individuals as people who are, and always will be, caught in the scourge of addiction.

The panel was clear in its verdict: the Scottish Government simply has not done enough. It seems that SNP ministers will not listen to Opposition politicians; they will not listen to the very best campaigners in the field; and they will not listen to vulnerable users. That being the case, I urge the Government at least to listen to the damning verdicts of the people’s panel report.

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the feasibility of its target to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. (S6O-04403)

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to tackle the reported rising number of cases of drug driving. (S6F-03870)

Earlier this week, The Scottish Sun reported that drug driving in Scotland now eclipses drink driving by around three to one. It is even more incredible that when the police pull over someone suspected of drug driving, subsequent testing proves their suspicions correct on more than 50 per cent of occasions. In contrast, for drink driving, such tests are positive in only around one in 20 cases.

Over the years, drink driving initiatives have been hailed for their positive impact and their role in making drink driving far less socially accepted than it was in past generations, saving lives in the process. Does the First Minister have plans to do something similar with drug driving?

The Scottish Government set the 62-day standard to ensure that 95 per cent of patients who are urgently referred with suspected cancer would begin their treatment within 62 days. However, according to Public Health Scotland, as of December 2024, only 72.1 per cent of cancer patients, including those with suspected cervical cancer, started treatment within that timeframe. Can the minister outline the urgent measures that are being taken to ensure that 95 per cent of patients with suspected cervical cancer can begin life-saving treatment within the 62-day target?

To ask the Scottish Government when Public Health Scotland will produce updated statistics on the screening rates for cervical cancer. (S6O-04367)

From day 1, the Scottish Government was warned that the bill would not work, and it did not listen to anyone. Four years on, nothing has changed. Will the minister take the opportunity to apologise to all those she has let down?

I thank my colleague Foysol Choudhury for bringing the debate to the chamber on behalf of those across Scotland who are living with type 1 diabetes. I also thank Emma Harper for sharing the story of her own journey with type 1 diabetes.

The debate focuses on the importance of medical technology and, more specifically, on how important diabetes tech is—as we have heard—for individuals in managing their diabetes. According to Diabetes Scotland, diabetes tech aids people in monitoring their blood sugar levels or taking insulin, and includes insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors and hybrid closed-loop systems, which connect a continuous glucose monitor with an insulin pump that adjusts insulin levels automatically in many instances. That tech spares people who are living with diabetes from having to do painful finger-prick tests regularly. Given that the technology is a vital part of the lives of people who live with type 1 diabetes, proper funding is essential in ensuring that their needs are met.

Last summer, the Scottish Government recognised that with its £8.8 million commitment to improving access to diabetes technology, which is very welcome. The same commitment was meant to align with the Scottish Health Technologies Group’s recommendations and with the SIGN guidelines, which are designed to give young people and children access to technology in such a way that they can exercise choice.

Despite that positive commitment, however, concerns remain regarding accessibility and choice. For example, numerous families feel that their needs are not being met, because, although central funding covers insulin pumps and glucose monitors for those under 18, their options are still quite limited. That can contribute negatively to people’s quality of life, which is already impacted by managing their diabetes. According to IPAG Scotland, managing type 1 diabetes means—as we have heard—that an individual has to make an extra 180 decisions every day. Accessible technology that provides real-time information can significantly improve that daily challenge.

However, the challenges remain on-going, so we need to consider what can be done to address them. Fortunately, organisations such as Diabetes Scotland and IPAG Scotland have spelled out some recommendations with that goal in mind. They have advocated for regular reviews on how funding is used, promoting greater access to hybrid closed-loop systems and tailoring approaches for paediatric-specific needs such as remote monitoring. Moreover, they have pressed for ensuring that guidelines are followed by all health boards and clinical staff to ensure safety, and that patients and their families are informed of all available choices in diabetes tech so that they are empowered through making their choice.

There are currently 36,000 people across the country who are living with type 1 diabetes, and it is clear that there is a need to address shortcomings in respect of the diabetes technology that could help them to lead better lives. I join campaigners in welcoming the financial commitment that the Scottish Government made last June, but also in believing that that is only one part of a long-term approach.

I look forward to working with members on all sides of the chamber to help to make that goal a reality, and I am eager to see what positive changes we can bring about in 2025 for people who are living with diabetes.

What is the cabinet secretary’s assessment of the availability of flu vaccine and appointments for people under 65 and not within the at-risk groups who want to be vaccinated but have simply been unable to do so?

Yes, I absolutely agree with that. However, the voices of the victims of sexual offences have not been heard throughout the bill’s passage. I welcome the minister’s response, and I know that we all share the same concerns. However, the issue was how we could get that requirement into the legislation, and there just was not a way to do it—I appreciate that.

The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill has been several years in the making, from the extensive consultation on electoral reform that was launched by the Scottish Government in 2022 to the point that we have reached today. We are much closer to changing our electoral system for the better and to making it fit for the future. Admittedly, although the bill is not exhaustive with regard to its aims, as is demonstrated by the concerns that I have just highlighted, its provisions broadly achieve its aims, and steps in the right direction are being taken towards more comprehensive changes.

Moreover, the Scottish Government is expected to introduce electoral reform regulations next year, with the intention to have proposals ready for implementation in time for the next Holyrood election. I will work constructively with colleagues from across the chamber when the time comes, and I very much look forward to examining the regulations carefully with the same goal in mind, which is to create a more transparent and smoothly run Scotland, wherever in the country people go to the polls to choose their representatives. That is the right thing to do.