Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to increase access to community services to support people suffering from substance misuse disorders.

We are committed to ensuring that anyone with a substance misuse problem can access the help and support they need. This includes providing support for those who misuse drugs and additional funding over 2020/21 to 2021/22 to drug and alcohol treatment in targeted local authorities to individuals experiencing rough sleeping, including those currently in emergency accommodation following the COVID-19 response.

The second phase of Dame Carol Black’s independent review on drugs focuses on prevention, treatment services and recovery. The recommendations will be made available to Ministers in due course and will feed into wider Government work to tackle the serious harms caused by substance misuse, including through increasing access to services.