Chamber
Plenary, 06 Sep 2007
06 Sep 2007 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Drugs Misuse
I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue. Because of its impact on communities and families right across Scotland, no issue is more important for us to discuss. Who could argue with the view that we should reach a political consensus on how to deal with the issue? However, our views on how to deal with it sometimes differ.
The current methadone programme is a key part of the harm-reduction approach to drug abuse. It was supposed to stop addicts dying, but drug-related deaths have continued to rise—up by 25 per cent last year. It was supposed to get addicts off drugs by providing a legal substitute, but 70 per cent of those on methadone are still getting their illegal hits anyway. It was supposed to cut drug-related crime, but 80 per cent of addicts on methadone are still committing crimes, and our prisons are full of inmates with drug addictions.
We have to grasp this issue. Members may not all agree, but I feel that by making drug use affordable and acceptable, current policies are conspiring to keep addicts in what—over generations in some cases—has become a way of life. The sad fact behind recent reported deaths is that some of those people were not our children but our grandparents. The harm-reduction approach has increased the risk for our children and our communities. Therefore, calls for "more support" or "more of the same" will not help. We have heard such calls from members this morning.
Is the answer not to challenge the lack of ambition that saw stabilisation as the only realistic policy goal? We have to move towards cessation schemes. We have to challenge drug-taking behaviour and have a clear ambition—as Stuart McMillan said earlier—to get as many people as we can back to their families, back to work and back into the community.
We have to acknowledge that some people who take drugs have multiple problems. However, whether we accept it or not, there are also people who like drugs and choose to take them. That behaviour has to be challenged. Those people are not the only innocent victims; the child, the neighbour and the parent of the addict are the victims as well.
If the Executive is intent on setting up another consultation, that is a worthy intention. If we can reach a consensus on how to challenge the present situation, that will be great. However, I give members a reminder—as if it were needed—about how the children of drug-abusing parents find their way on to the priority lists. The reminder is from the recently published letters of assurance that the Executive sought from local authorities. Those letters reveal that any number of children in Scotland may be living—unidentified and unprotected—in the squalor of parental drug addiction.
Among the correspondence is a submission in which Strathclyde Police chief constable Sir Willie Rae and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde chief executive Tom Divers concede that
"At this present time, we could not provide general assurance that all children affected by substance misuse have been identified."
Those men are very senior figures delivering services in our communities.
However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. The Executive's own summary acknowledges that
"the vast majority of … areas experience difficulty in consistently identifying those children affected by drug misuse."
That was reported by child protection committees.
In Inverclyde, the past council leader Alan Blair acknowledged that children were living in such circumstances. He admitted that their safety could not be guaranteed. In North Lanarkshire, a report signed off by council, health and police chiefs states:
"We cannot provide a definitive guarantee that all children who … have parents who are misusing substances have been identified."
Senior figures in South Lanarkshire assert that the reason why
"it is never possible to be entirely confident in relation to the identification of all children … affected by parental drug use"
is that drug users are hidden from services. However, precisely where those self-sufficient drug addicts—who have never accessed housing benefit, child benefit, council tax benefit, a general practitioner, a social worker, the housing department or any other public service—are to be found is, alas, not divulged.
I could go on, but time is limited and I am sure that members get the picture. Children are being failed by a system that does not even see them as a statistic. Local authorities have been given a clear duty by the Executive to ensure that addicts' children get the services they need before they are at risk of harm. However, as has now been revealed by the letters of assurance, local authorities are nothing like able to meet that obligation.
The inability to identify, far less protect, a significant number of children and young people is not only creating much needless suffering but risking another child's preventable death. I therefore renew my call to the minister—whether it be Shona Robison, Fergus Ewing, Kenny MacAskill, Adam Ingram, or whoever can be put in post specifically to deal with this issue—to act now. There are no excuses and there can be no delay. Those children need our help now.
The current methadone programme is a key part of the harm-reduction approach to drug abuse. It was supposed to stop addicts dying, but drug-related deaths have continued to rise—up by 25 per cent last year. It was supposed to get addicts off drugs by providing a legal substitute, but 70 per cent of those on methadone are still getting their illegal hits anyway. It was supposed to cut drug-related crime, but 80 per cent of addicts on methadone are still committing crimes, and our prisons are full of inmates with drug addictions.
We have to grasp this issue. Members may not all agree, but I feel that by making drug use affordable and acceptable, current policies are conspiring to keep addicts in what—over generations in some cases—has become a way of life. The sad fact behind recent reported deaths is that some of those people were not our children but our grandparents. The harm-reduction approach has increased the risk for our children and our communities. Therefore, calls for "more support" or "more of the same" will not help. We have heard such calls from members this morning.
Is the answer not to challenge the lack of ambition that saw stabilisation as the only realistic policy goal? We have to move towards cessation schemes. We have to challenge drug-taking behaviour and have a clear ambition—as Stuart McMillan said earlier—to get as many people as we can back to their families, back to work and back into the community.
We have to acknowledge that some people who take drugs have multiple problems. However, whether we accept it or not, there are also people who like drugs and choose to take them. That behaviour has to be challenged. Those people are not the only innocent victims; the child, the neighbour and the parent of the addict are the victims as well.
If the Executive is intent on setting up another consultation, that is a worthy intention. If we can reach a consensus on how to challenge the present situation, that will be great. However, I give members a reminder—as if it were needed—about how the children of drug-abusing parents find their way on to the priority lists. The reminder is from the recently published letters of assurance that the Executive sought from local authorities. Those letters reveal that any number of children in Scotland may be living—unidentified and unprotected—in the squalor of parental drug addiction.
Among the correspondence is a submission in which Strathclyde Police chief constable Sir Willie Rae and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde chief executive Tom Divers concede that
"At this present time, we could not provide general assurance that all children affected by substance misuse have been identified."
Those men are very senior figures delivering services in our communities.
However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. The Executive's own summary acknowledges that
"the vast majority of … areas experience difficulty in consistently identifying those children affected by drug misuse."
That was reported by child protection committees.
In Inverclyde, the past council leader Alan Blair acknowledged that children were living in such circumstances. He admitted that their safety could not be guaranteed. In North Lanarkshire, a report signed off by council, health and police chiefs states:
"We cannot provide a definitive guarantee that all children who … have parents who are misusing substances have been identified."
Senior figures in South Lanarkshire assert that the reason why
"it is never possible to be entirely confident in relation to the identification of all children … affected by parental drug use"
is that drug users are hidden from services. However, precisely where those self-sufficient drug addicts—who have never accessed housing benefit, child benefit, council tax benefit, a general practitioner, a social worker, the housing department or any other public service—are to be found is, alas, not divulged.
I could go on, but time is limited and I am sure that members get the picture. Children are being failed by a system that does not even see them as a statistic. Local authorities have been given a clear duty by the Executive to ensure that addicts' children get the services they need before they are at risk of harm. However, as has now been revealed by the letters of assurance, local authorities are nothing like able to meet that obligation.
The inability to identify, far less protect, a significant number of children and young people is not only creating much needless suffering but risking another child's preventable death. I therefore renew my call to the minister—whether it be Shona Robison, Fergus Ewing, Kenny MacAskill, Adam Ingram, or whoever can be put in post specifically to deal with this issue—to act now. There are no excuses and there can be no delay. Those children need our help now.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson):
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-415, in the name of Kenny MacAskill, on tackling drugs misuse. I call Fergus Ewing to speak to and move t...
The Minister for Community Safety (Fergus Ewing):
SNP
It is fitting that the first Government debate of the new parliamentary year concerns an issue that is vital to the future of Scotland. If we are to realise ...
Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
I thank colleagues for their courtesy in allowing me to head off early because of my back problems.I echo Fergus Ewing's comments on the importance of the is...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
I thank Miss Smith for her courtesy in informing me that she is unable to stay for the entire debate.
Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab):
Lab
You will note, Presiding Officer, that we have not submitted a Labour amendment to the motion. That should not imply that we have no questions or issues to r...
Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP):
SNP
I hope that the member does not wish to create the impression that illicit drugs use occurs exclusively in our deprived communities, because that is not the ...
Margaret Curran:
Lab
I suspect that Brian Adam is the only person to draw that conclusion, as I did not say that drugs misuse is exclusive to deprived areas. However, statistical...
Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con):
Con
I very much welcome this opportunity to debate the issue of tackling drugs misuse and congratulate the cabinet secretary on bringing the topic to the chamber...
Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab):
Lab
The mandatory testing system that the Conservatives introduced at great expense into the prison service a considerable time ago has been counterproductive. I...
Annabel Goldie:
Con
I am not able to agree totally with Dr Simpson, although his attitude probably explains why we now have such an unprecedented drug addiction problem in our p...
Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I will endeavour not to repeat statistics that have already been cited in the debate, but perhaps I can begin by highlighting a few other figures. Although I...
Dr Simpson:
Lab
I am sorry to contradict Christine Grahame, but the Scottish schools adolescent lifestyle and substance use survey, which is a two-yearly study that looks at...
Christine Grahame:
SNP
I defer to Dr Simpson's knowledge in certain areas, but the headline that I quoted refers to a serious report, which I hope he will read. Its evidence reflec...
Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab):
Lab
The motion says everything—well, almost everything. There is not a lot in it with which we could disagree. However, there is not enough—or perhaps anything—a...
Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD):
LD
I will use speeches that we have heard so far as the framework for mine. Fergus Ewing gave a full account of the work that he is undertaking—we wish him the ...
Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Members will have various experiences of the drugs problems in Scotland and in their local communities. I certainly hope that the new SNP Government can buil...
Dr Simpson:
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Stuart McMillan:
SNP
I am sorry, but not at the moment.I live in Greenock in Inverclyde, an area that has well-documented drugs problems. Duncan McNeil and I are fully aware of t...
Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab):
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue. Because of its impact on communities and families right across Scotland, no issue is more important for us t...
John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con):
Con
A couple of weeks ago, I served a night shift with the local police force down in my constituency in the Borders. I was able to see at first hand what the po...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan):
SNP
I can give Bill Wilson just under six minutes.
Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer—that means that I can put some of the scored-out bits of my speech back in.I congratulate Fergus Ewing on his presentation of th...
Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD):
LD
I am delighted that the first debate of this term to which I am contributing is on the important issue of drugs misuse. I thank Kenny MacAskill for bringing ...
Dr Simpson:
Lab
The answer to the member's question about whether research has been done in this area is yes. The estimated number of children who are associated with drug-u...
Mike Pringle:
LD
I take Richard Simpson's point and, like others, bow to his knowledge of the area, which is greater than mine.Trish Godman was absolutely right to make the p...
Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con):
Con
I have found this debate encouraging. Not only have there been a lot of positive contributions in which members have drawn on their expertise from previous o...
Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab):
Lab
I want to maintain the spirit of consensus, after one slight interruption. John Lamont said that Annabel Goldie raised the issue of drugs misuse even when it...
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Kenny MacAskill):
SNP
I thank colleagues from all parts of the chamber for their contributions to the debate. Many members spoke eloquently, passionately and, indeed, poignantly—s...