Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will legislate for the mandatory provision by local authorities of treatment for drug misuse.

In 2018 the Department published a call for evidence of the impact of regulations that require local authorities to take certain steps under their duties to improve health. We are considering the responses to that exercise and will publish for consultation any proposal for changes to the existing regulations. Meanwhile the public health grant that funds local authorities’ health responsibilities remains subject to the condition that they must use it with regard to the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, their substance misuse treatment services.