Drugs funding cut by £1m for this year by SNP/Greens, documents reveal

SNP/Green ministers approved a cut of £1 million to the alcohol and drugs budget as part of their £1.2 billion spending reduction drive, documents have revealed.

The figure comes just two days after drugs policy minister Angela Constance pledged £68m over the next three years as part of a new action plan on drug deaths in Holyrood, failing to mention the cut to the in-year budget.

John Swinney announced the cut, which went unnoticed due to being buried as part of a wider £13m reduction to sport and “health improvement funding”, in the second part of his emergency budget review in early November.

Critics accused the Government of undermining their own commitment to make tackling the drugs deaths crisis in Scotland a ‘national mission’ with the cut.

The national mission was launched in January 2021 following rising drug deaths in Scotland, with 1,330 recorded in 2021 – just nine fewer than the previous year. However, figures obtained by The Scotsman through Freedom of Information highlighted the cut to funding for the first time.

It sees the overall funding for 2022/23 drop from £24.4m to £23.4m for alcohol and drugs funding within the population health directorate of the Government. However, no further detail of exactly which services are affected is provided.

Alison Douglas, chief executive of the charity Alcohol Focus Scotland, criticised the cut and called for increased investment.

She said: “Now is not the time to be taking money away from alcohol and drugs given the high levels of harms we are seeing. Since 2019, deaths from alcohol increased by 22 per cent. Each of these deaths is a life ended too soon, and leaves behind loved ones suffering their loss. As well as the personal impact, alcohol problems place significant pressures on our health service at a time where resources are already stretched.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney cut £1m of alcohol and drugs funding as part of his emergency budget review.

Scottish Conservative drugs spokesperson Sue Webber called on MSPs to back her party’s ‘Right to Recovery Bill’ and was incredulous about the cut to funding.

She said: “I cannot believe this is happening. Why on earth do SNP ministers think it’s appropriate to cut the funding on tackling drugs, when Scotland’s appalling death rate from addiction has spiralled out of control on their watch?

“The drug-mortality level in Scotland is by far the worst in Europe – and 3.7 times higher than the UK as a whole. This scandal is Scotland’s national shame, and we simply can’t continue like this. The SNP have stated it’s a national mission to tackle this. You cannot say this, and mean it, and then cut funding.”

Paul O’Kane, Scottish Labour’s drugs spokesperson, said services needed more funding, not less.

He said: “Drug and alcohol dependency has been declared a public health emergency by the Scottish Government, and yet access to treatment and support services remains sparse.

"These services have been starved of support for far too long, with tragic consequences.”

On Thursday, drugs minister Angela Constance told MSPs new funding includes £30m for drug services in primary care settings, with another £18m to go towards crisis care services and schemes which help people stabilise their lives.

A Scottish Government spokesperson added: “The Emergency Budget Review for 2022/23 meant the Health portfolio saw £400m spending reprioritised to support a fair pay offer to NHS staff.

“The 2023/24 draft budget for alcohol and drug services sees an increase from £85.4m to £99m. This includes an additional £12m to deliver the cross-government response to the taskforce.”

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