Chamber and committees

That is very helpful. I will bring in Annie Wells and then Pauline McNeill.

I call Sharon Dowey, to be followed by Annie Wells.

I interpret the increase in emergency naloxone administration as a positive, with that option now having a broader reach, as you mentioned. Committee members would be interested in any update that was available on the UK Government’s work on the issue.

That would be very helpful.

The committee would welcome an update on potential timescales, if possible.

A very good morning, and welcome to the second joint meeting in 2024 of members of the Criminal Justice Committee, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and the Social Justice and Social Security Committee to consider the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce.

Our first item of business is to decide whether to take in private items 3 and 4, which are to review today’s evidence and to receive an update on the work of the people’s panel. Are we agreed to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you, cabinet secretary. I put on record the committee’s warm wishes to Christina McKelvie.

Cabinet secretary, I want to open the questioning by asking for an update on the drug checking pilot project, which we have looked at in the past during the joint committee’s evidence sessions. We are aware of a number of projects that are under way across Scotland, and I would be interested in receiving an update on the expected timescales for decisions on the Home Office licence application process and the subsequent establishment of drug checking facilities in each of the pilot areas. In that respect, I draw the cabinet secretary’s attention to comments from Kirsten Horsburgh of the Scottish Drugs Forum, who, at our last meeting, welcomed the pilot, but was keen for progress to be made, particularly on the timescales for its establishment.

I will bring in Clare Haughey and then Sharon Dowey.

On that point, I will bring the session to a close. I thank the cabinet secretary and his officials for a very interesting session.

I am aware that some of the issues that were covered this morning are of interest to the people’s panel, which has been mentioned throughout the session. I hope that this evidence session will inform some of the panel’s further deliberations during its final meeting, which will take place this weekend.

That completes the public part of our meeting.

Before I bring in Annie Wells, I have a quick supplementary question on funding. I am a bit like a broken record when it comes to the issue of multiyear funding. I know that there are some signals that the new UK Government is slightly more willing to look at the option of multiyear funding. All committees hear about the benefit of multiyear funding, and Mr Foggo’s point about whole systems working together is certainly relevant to that in the criminal justice space. Notwithstanding the point that the cabinet secretary made about local decision making, would the Government want multiyear funding in this space, given the significant role that the third sector plays in the area?