Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes in the level of funding for local authorities through the Public Health Grant on drug misuse treatment outcomes.

Local authorities will receive over £3 billion in 2019/20, ring-fenced exclusively for use on public health. It is for local authorities themselves to determine how best to use these resources based on their assessment of local need and with regard to their statutory duties.

Over the five years of the current spending review period we are making over £16 billion of grant funding available to local authorities in England exclusively for use on improving health.

As part of the Drug Strategy we are supporting programmes which have a positive impact on young people and adults, giving them the confidence, resilience and risk management skills to resist drug use. This includes supporting schools and educators to take action to prevent substance misuse, including by expanding the Alcohol and Drugs Education and Prevention Information Service, which provides practical advice and tools, and developing the ‘Rise Above’ digital hub. This uses interactive and engaging content to help build young people’s (11-16 years old) resilience and empower them to make positive choices for their health.

Public Health England has issued advice on providing naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote, and published updated clinical guidelines for drug treatment. It has also worked with a network of treatment providers to establish good practice guidance on managing drug-related death risk factors and to improve partnership between treatment providers and other healthcare services.