Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has reviewed the policies of other countries as part of policy development for (a) drug and (b) alcohol strategies.

International research, data and the experience of other countries’ drug treatment systems were reviewed in the development of Public Health England’s (PHE’s) Drug misuse treatment in England: evidence review of outcomes, published in 2017, which helped inform the Government’s 2021 drug strategy. The review is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-misuse-treatment-in-england-evidence-review-of-outcomes

While there are no current plans for a new specific alcohol strategy, the Department maintains an interest in the effectiveness of policies implemented by other countries to reduce alcohol harms. The 2016 PHE publication, The public health burden of alcohol: evidence review, reviewed effective policies for reducing alcohol harms in OECD countries. The review is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-public-health-burden-of-alcohol-evidence-review

Officials in the Department frequently engage with international colleagues and those in the devolved administrations to exchange ideas, experience and evidence when developing new policies.