Meeting of the Parliament 09 October 2025
We say about our MAT standards that when people come forward, they should get access to treatment immediately. In standard 1, we say that they should get same-day access to prescribing. We are absolutely aware of the issue that the member raises, and we are determined to rise and meet it.
I joined more than 2,000 people on the Scottish Recovery Consortium’s recovery walk a couple of weeks ago. I will quote Natalie, who opened the event with a powerful, heart-rending testament to Peter Krykant, an activist who sadly passed away earlier this year. She said:
“Recovery, real recovery—what I call righteous recovery—is about reducing harm. It’s about creating the conditions where people can heal. It’s about building bridges, not just keeping people alive, but helping them to truly live.”
The Scottish Government is committed to a multifaceted, rights-based approach. Our investment is delivering real change. The post-2026 strategic plan will expand the MAT standards to cover all drugs and alcohol and ensure that residential rehab is available to everyone who needs it, when they need it and wherever they live, for however long they need it.
Despite a 13 per cent reduction in drug deaths, the figures remain unacceptably high. We are developing a new alcohol and drug strategic plan, informed by lived experience and key reports, including those by Changing Lives, Audit Scotland and the people’s panel. The plan will prioritise prevention and early intervention—areas that the committee rightly warned could be deprioritised under the bill.
The plan will also strengthen harm reduction and improve treatment pathways, underpinned by dignity, respect and agency. At its core, there will be a continued commitment to a human rights-based approach, ensuring that everyone who is affected by alcohol and drugs is treated with dignity, respect and compassion and has agency to drive their own treatment and recovery plan. Scotland continues to lead the way with a public health response to alcohol and drugs issues. We remain committed to learning from international evidence and from best practice. It is our intention that the funding will be maintained to support the delivery of the new strategic plan.