Chamber and committees

I call Miles Briggs, to be followed by Pauline McNeill.

Very quickly.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the second joint meeting in 2022 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 that is being made in implementing the recommendations of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce.

There are no apologies. I ask members to ensure that mobile phones are switched to silent and to wait for the sound engineer to switch their microphone on before speaking.

Our first item is consideration of a decision on taking in private item 3, which is consideration of the evidence heard. Are we agreed to take item 3 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Our next item is our second evidence session on reducing drug deaths in Scotland and tackling problem drug use. I refer members to papers 1 and 2.

I welcome to the meeting David Strang, who is chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce. Thank you for your written submission, David. I invite you to make brief opening remarks. Please speak for around three minutes.

That is a helpful overview. I have a quick follow-up question. Where does the task force currently sit in delivering the tasks that it has been set? I would be interested to hear your views on that.

We are almost at the end of our session; it has been a long but very informative morning. I ask for members’ forbearance so that I can ask one more very quick question of the minister, before she goes.

We are aware of the recent announcement regarding the national collaborative. Can you make a few points about the remit and purpose of the collaborative? How might it work alongside the task force, which also has members with lived experience contributing to its work?

No apology is needed, minister. We turn to questions from Sue Webber.

That completes the evidence session. As usual, time is against us, but we have covered a lot. I extend my thanks to you, minister, and to your officials for attending. If members have any further questions, we will follow up with you in writing.

We will meet again tomorrow to hear from the Minister for Drugs Policy and the new chair of the Drug Deaths Taskforce.

Good afternoon, and welcome to this joint meeting of the Criminal Justice Committee, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and the Social Justice and Social Security Committee. I welcome Beatrice Wishart to the meeting. No apologies have been received. The committees have agreed to convene jointly to consider the progress that has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce.

I ask members to ensure that mobile phones are switched to silent, and to wait for the sound engineer to switch on their microphone before speaking.

Our business today is an evidence session on reducing drug deaths in Scotland and tackling problem drug use. I refer members to papers 1 and 2. I welcome Kit Malthouse MP, the Minister of State for Crime and Policing, and Marcus Starling, the head of the drugs misuse and firearms unit at the Home Office in the United Kingdom Government.

I invite the minister to make some brief opening remarks for about three minutes.

Thank you. I will bring in Paul O’Kane next.