Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any regional variation in access to drug, alcohol and smoking cessation services.

The Government is committed to ensuring all areas offer high-quality drug, alcohol, and smoking cessation services, with action to support consistent provision nationwide.

For smoking, we have invested an additional £70 million in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England to help people quit. From April 2026, we have provided an additional £260 million over three years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and ring-fenced all funding for smoking cessation services within the Public Health Grant, meaning at least £153 million per annum is protected for these services. This will ensure there is a comprehensive offer across local authorities in England and that there is more equitable funding across all regions. The additional funding is weighted toward local authorities with the highest smoking rates to ensure we target areas with the greatest need. We have also has launched a Self-Assessment and Service Improvement Tool to support local authorities to strengthen Stop Smoking Services delivery and improvement, and ensure a minimum standard of service.

For drugs and alcohol, the Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it. From 2026, all drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding is through the Public Health Grant, with £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery over three years. One of the conditions of the Public Health Grant is that all local authorities that receive the grant work with partners to develop a plan to address drug and alcohol need in their community, and this plan is agreed with the Department.