Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Home Secretary, (b) the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, (c) National Police Chiefs’ Council and (d) other stakeholders on improving opportunities for diversion for people whose offending is linked to substance misuse.

The Prime Minister’s Crime and Justice Taskforce (CJTF) was established last year to consider matters relating to the prevention of crime and the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System including combating drug misuse.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

In response to diverting people away from offending, the Ministry of Justice is strengthening out of court disposals by putting into legislation the framework for a nationally consistent two-tier system, based on that developed by the National Police Chief Council (NPCC).This involves close working with the Home Office, the NPCC and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners who are involved routinely at both a strategic and working level.

Additionally, DHSC have received £80m to tackle drug misuse in 2021-22. The bulk of the funding (£65m circa) will be given to for local authorities via a specific grant allocation to support delivery of services specifically for the offender cohort. This funding will be used to introduce specialist criminal justice drug and alcohol workers who will be based in police stations, courts or prisons with a remit to identify and screen individuals in order to divert them into treatment.