Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-43925

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care last met with Police Scotland to discuss any impact associated with the Thistle drug consumption facility.

Question reference: S6W-43923

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 11 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the opening of the Thistle drug consumption facility has resulted in an increase in (a) antisocial behaviour, (b) discarded needles and (c) drug dealing in Calton.

Question reference: S6O-05584

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what renewed action it will take to improve tree equity in Scotland’s urban areas.

Question reference: S6W-43679

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to the Scottish Drugs Forum in each of the last five years, and what any funding was spent on in each of those years.

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) makes in delivering services to people who use substances. The Scottish Government has provided funding to the Scottish Drugs Forum for a number of projects since 2021 from both the Alcohol and Drugs Policy Budget and through Blood Borne Viruses policy.

Total funding for SDF from the Alcohol and Drugs Policy budget is available in the National Mission Annual Reports published online at: National mission on drugs - Alcohol and drugs - gov.scot .

Total funding breakdowns for 2025-26 Alcohol and Drugs Policy will be provided in the 2025-26 National Mission Annual report following year-end reporting processes.

For ease of reference, a funding breakdown by year is provided in the following tables, with further detail on projects funded each year being provided in answer to the question S6W-43681 on 26 February 2026:

Alcohol and Drugs Policy Funding (2021-22 – 2024-25)

Financial Year	Funding Total (£000s)
2021-22	2,008
2022-23	1,414
2023-24	1,948
2024-25	2,044

Blood Borne Viruses Funding (2021-22 – 2023-24)

Financial Year	Funding Total (£000s)
2021-22	442
2022-23	409
2023-24	65

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-43680

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of any funding that it has provided in the last five years to the Scottish Drugs Forum in reducing drugs deaths.

Over the past five years, the Scottish Government has funded SDF to support delivery of the National Mission to reduce drug deaths and improve lives. The National Drugs Mission Plan (2022–2026) sets out the approach being taken, including investment to strengthen the workforce, improve data and surveillance, embed lived and living experience, prevent the development of problem drug use, and reduce harm for people who use drugs.

SDF has been funded to deliver projects that contribute directly to these outcomes, including harm reduction initiatives, lived and living experience engagement, improvements in workforce capability, and national data and surveillance support.

As a grant-funded organisation, SDF is required to report regularly on progress against agreed objectives. The Scottish Government is satisfied with the progress made, with objectives adjusted over time to respond to emerging priorities.

It is not possible to attribute a specific number of prevented deaths to individual projects. However, the Scottish Government considers that reductions in drug deaths depend on the collective impact of system-wide interventions. Harm reduction work (including naloxone distribution), strengthening of the MAT Standards, improved non-fatal overdose responses, expanded lived experience engagement, and workforce development have all been essential to Scotland’s ability to prevent fatalities.

Scotland’s capacity to prevent drug deaths would be significantly weakened had this work not been undertaken.

Question reference: S6W-43681

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what projects have been delivered as a result of any funding provided to the Scottish Drugs Forum in the last five years.

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that the Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) has in delivering services to people who use substances. The Scottish Government has provided funding to the SDF for a number of projects over the past five years (2021-22 – 2025-26) from both Alcohol and Drugs Policy and Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses Policy.

A list of SDF projects delivered with Scottish Government funding is provided below. Total funding for each year is provided in response to question S6W-43679 on 25 February 2026.

Drugs Policy Funded Projects by year

2021-22

Project	Purpose
Core Funding	To support SDF’s organisational infrastructure and fund core projects aligned with the aims and outcomes of the National Mission.
Lived and Living Experience Engagement	Ensuring the voices of people with living experience influence service developments, service delivery, policy and strategy development.
Naloxone Campaign	National promotion to increase naloxone uptake and awareness.
Naloxone Promotional Items	Materials to support naloxone awareness.
Naloxone supplied to Police Scotland	Supply of naloxone kits to Police Scotland.
Local Support Fund Team	Support for applicants to the Corra-administered National Drugs Mission Local Support Fund.
Harm Reduction Training	Delivery of workforce harm reduction training.

2022-23

Project	Purpose
Core Funding	To support SDF’s organisational infrastructure and fund core projects aligned with the aims and outcomes of the National Mission.
Lived and Living Experience Engagement	Ensuring the voices of people with living experience influence service developments, service delivery, policy and strategy development.
Harm Reduction Post	Training on wound care, injecting risk, naloxone and other harm reduction measures.
Local Support Team	Support for applicants to the Corra-administered National Drugs Mission Local Support Fund.
Peer Naloxone: Prisons	To increase access to naloxone among the prison population and on release.

2023-24

Project	Purpose
Core Funding	To support SDF’s organisational infrastructure and fund core projects aligned with the aims and outcomes of the National Mission.
Lived and Living Experience Engagement	Ensuring the voices of people with living experience influence service developments, service delivery, policy and strategy development.
Addiction Worker Training Programme	To expand the reach and scale of the programme which to supports people with lived or living experience of drug or alcohol problems into employment.
Local Support Team	Support for applicants to the Corra-administered National Drugs Mission Local Support Fund.
Peer Naloxone: Prisons	To increase access to naloxone among the prison population and on release.

2024-25

Project	Purpose
Core Funding	To support SDF’s organisational infrastructure and fund core projects aligned with the aims and outcomes of the National Mission.
Emergency Response Post	To contribute to Scotland’s resilience and capacity to identify and respond to emerging drug trends and associated harms, including injecting wounds and outbreaks of infection.
Lived and Living Experience Engagement	Ensuring the voices of people with living experience influence service developments, service delivery, policy and strategy development.
Addiction Worker Training Programme	To expand the reach and scale of the programme which to supports people with lived or living experience of drug or alcohol problems into employment.
Local Support Team	Support for applicants to the Corra-administered National Drugs Mission Local Support Fund.
Peer Naloxone: Prisons	To increase access to naloxone among the prison population and on release.

Blood Borne Viruses funded projects by year

2021-22

Project	Purpose
BBV – People Who Inject Drugs	Programme aimed at reducing BBV infections and unplanned pregnancies.
BBV – Specific Populations	Supports workforce working with chemsex, IPED use and prostitution.
BBV – Vulnerable Young People	Training workforce supporting young people at risk.
Emergency Responses	To support Scotland’s readiness and response to outbreaks of infection among people who use drugs.
HCV Uptake & Awareness Training	Improves hepatitis C awareness and treatment uptake.
Hepatitis Scotland	Leads voluntary sector response to viral hepatitis.

2022-23

Project	Purpose
BBV – People Who Inject Drugs	Programme aimed at reducing BBV infections and unplanned pregnancies.
BBV – Specific Populations	Supports workforce working with chemsex, IPED use and prostitution.
BBV – Vulnerable Young People	Training workforce supporting young people at risk.
Emergency Responses	To support Scotland’s readiness and response to outbreaks of infection among people who use drugs.
Harm Reduction Training	Workforce training on harm reduction.
Hepatitis Scotland	Leads voluntary sector response to viral hepatitis.

2023-24

Project	Purpose
Emergency Responses	Supports Scotland’s BBV outbreak response capacity.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S6W-43695

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 February 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the potential role of a respiratory Modern Service Framework, as introduced in England, in reducing winter pressures on NHS services in Scotland by simultaneously improving outcomes for long-term respiratory conditions and short-term respiratory illnesses such as the flu.

The Scottish Government is aware of calls from respiratory stakeholders in England for a Modern Service Framework focused on respiratory care. To clarify, the UK Government has not introduced such a framework. Modern Service Frameworks are being developed for major conditions such as cardiovascular disease and dementia, but respiratory conditions are not currently included.

In Scotland, we continue to monitor emerging approaches from across the UK while taking forward our own long term, evidence informed approach.

The Scottish Governments strategic direction for respiratory care is currently set through the Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland. This work supports resilience across the health system throughout the year, including during periods of increased pressure. Prioritising prevention, early detection and effective long term management helps reduce avoidable exacerbations which often drive urgent and unscheduled demand during winter.

Question reference: S6W-43877

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether any NHS boards have discontinued the supply of nasal naloxone, and, if so, which boards, and what the reasons are for this in each case.

Question reference: S6W-43878

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of the provision of nasal naloxone in tackling drug-related deaths.

Question reference: S6O-05578

Current Status: Withdrawn

Chamber and committees