Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what cross-government work is taking place to help reduce harms associated with controlled drugs.

Across Government we are taking a range of action to prevent drug use, improve treatment and recovery support, and support enforcement partners to tackle drug supply.

Each of the departments involved in this work is contributing to reducing harms. In the Home Office we have legislated to control harmful new synthetic opioids, with further controls due to be laid in Parliament soon, we have legislated to expand police powers in relation to drug testing on arrest to enable more people to be diverted into treatment where appropriate and we are making good progress in our work with partner countries to stem the source, target supply routes and secure the UK border.

We are investing £3.4bn in treatment and recovery over the next three years and in DHSC there is a strong focus on further improving the quality of treatment, reducing drug and alcohol related deaths and working closely with MoJ on treatment for those in the criminal justice system, including through improving continuity of care between prison and the community.

DWP and DHSC’s Individual Placement Support programme provides tailored help to those in treatment for drug or alcohol dependency to get into paid work. In DfE the new RSHE curriculum is in place from this term, supporting the mandatory requirement for education on the harms of drugs.

MHCLG are leading delivery of the Prime Minister’s commitment to end rough sleeping and working closely with DHSC to improve treatment access and recovery outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping through the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment (RSDAT) and Housing Support programmes.

The cross-government Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU) works closely with departments to ensure a coordinated, whole-system approach at a national level and with Combating Drugs Partnerships (CDPs) in every area of the country to support a joined-up approach at local level. A recent independent evaluation found that CDPs have strengthened multi-agency working with strong leadership and clear governance key to success (www.gov.uk/government/publications/process-evaluation-of-combating-drugs-partnerships/process-evaluation-of-combating-drugs-partnerships).

I have asked Dame Carol Black, our independent advisor on drugs, to undertake a programme of work to improve our understanding of the opportunities and challenges.