Chamber
Plenary, 06 Sep 2007
06 Sep 2007 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Drugs Misuse
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 police encounter every day and to discuss their concerns about how we can improve general policing and safety records in the Borders. It is clear—as it is throughout the United Kingdom—that drug abuse and crimes connected to drug use take up a lot of police time.
It is often assumed that drug abuse is a problem of the big cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. However, as Christine Grahame stated earlier, it is as much a blight on the streets of the towns and villages across the Borders as it is elsewhere. Indeed, in some league tables on drug crime, the Scottish Borders area comes ahead of West Lothian and Falkirk and is on a par with Edinburgh.
The drug dependency figures for young people in the Scottish Borders show a worrying trend. In a recent survey, a staggering 20 per cent of 15-year-olds had used drugs, which is higher than the average for Scotland. What is more, the number of drug-related deaths of people in their early 20s is disproportionately higher in the Scottish Borders. Drug use is clearly becoming a problem at an earlier age in the Scottish Borders, and there is no clear evidence as to why.
The decision of the previous Scottish Government to replace the just say no campaign with the much weaker know the score programme was perhaps not the wisest decision. We need to make children much more aware of the dangers of drugs from an earlier age.
I note the SNP's election pledge to ensure £10 million investment in classroom–based drug education. I hope that the new Administration can fulfil that election promise.
We must consider the provision of services to tackle drugs misuse from a rural perspective. The health service has been increasingly centralised in the big towns and cities. In rural areas a home visit can sometimes take up most of the day. For safety reasons, such visits often have to be carried out by more than one person. Such issues have to be given greater consideration. An extra £15,000 of funding might go a long way in Glasgow or Dundee, but it will not even pay the cost of an extra member of staff in somewhere like the Borders. The downgrading of the Borders local treatment centres has had an adverse consequence. It is only right that the Government should reflect on that in future funding plans.
Social responsibility and social entrepreneurs have an important role to play in dealing with social problems. It is therefore important not to forget the role that the voluntary and charitable sectors, as well as social entrepreneurs, can play in tackling problems. I would like that to be recognised more, and those sectors to be included in public policy reviews to a much greater extent. Government does not always know best and it does not always have the right answers—sometimes it is better for it to stand aside and let others take over. I am waiting eagerly to see how the new Administration will approach that aspect of the drugs challenge.
I am proud of the work that my Conservative party colleagues have done in pursuing drug abuse. Annabel Goldie has highlighted the issue consistently, often when it was not fashionable to do so. The damage that drug abuse does to our communities is immeasurable. Annabel Goldie and the Scottish Conservatives should be congratulated on the work that they did in the previous session to push the issue to the top of the agenda. My Conservative colleagues and I intend in this session to ensure that that work continues.
I am pleased that so far the new Administration has been prepared to co-operate on the matter. I am sure that there are many areas on which we will disagree, but there is great potential for us to work together on drug abuse to bring about positive change.
It is often assumed that drug abuse is a problem of the big cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. However, as Christine Grahame stated earlier, it is as much a blight on the streets of the towns and villages across the Borders as it is elsewhere. Indeed, in some league tables on drug crime, the Scottish Borders area comes ahead of West Lothian and Falkirk and is on a par with Edinburgh.
The drug dependency figures for young people in the Scottish Borders show a worrying trend. In a recent survey, a staggering 20 per cent of 15-year-olds had used drugs, which is higher than the average for Scotland. What is more, the number of drug-related deaths of people in their early 20s is disproportionately higher in the Scottish Borders. Drug use is clearly becoming a problem at an earlier age in the Scottish Borders, and there is no clear evidence as to why.
The decision of the previous Scottish Government to replace the just say no campaign with the much weaker know the score programme was perhaps not the wisest decision. We need to make children much more aware of the dangers of drugs from an earlier age.
I note the SNP's election pledge to ensure £10 million investment in classroom–based drug education. I hope that the new Administration can fulfil that election promise.
We must consider the provision of services to tackle drugs misuse from a rural perspective. The health service has been increasingly centralised in the big towns and cities. In rural areas a home visit can sometimes take up most of the day. For safety reasons, such visits often have to be carried out by more than one person. Such issues have to be given greater consideration. An extra £15,000 of funding might go a long way in Glasgow or Dundee, but it will not even pay the cost of an extra member of staff in somewhere like the Borders. The downgrading of the Borders local treatment centres has had an adverse consequence. It is only right that the Government should reflect on that in future funding plans.
Social responsibility and social entrepreneurs have an important role to play in dealing with social problems. It is therefore important not to forget the role that the voluntary and charitable sectors, as well as social entrepreneurs, can play in tackling problems. I would like that to be recognised more, and those sectors to be included in public policy reviews to a much greater extent. Government does not always know best and it does not always have the right answers—sometimes it is better for it to stand aside and let others take over. I am waiting eagerly to see how the new Administration will approach that aspect of the drugs challenge.
I am proud of the work that my Conservative party colleagues have done in pursuing drug abuse. Annabel Goldie has highlighted the issue consistently, often when it was not fashionable to do so. The damage that drug abuse does to our communities is immeasurable. Annabel Goldie and the Scottish Conservatives should be congratulated on the work that they did in the previous session to push the issue to the top of the agenda. My Conservative colleagues and I intend in this session to ensure that that work continues.
I am pleased that so far the new Administration has been prepared to co-operate on the matter. I am sure that there are many areas on which we will disagree, but there is great potential for us to work together on drug abuse to bring about positive change.
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...