Chamber and committees

Thank you for that helpful update, minister. We look forward to hearing more about the progress of the national collaborative. That completes our evidence session. I thank the ministers and their officials for attending. If members have more questions, we will follow up with them in writing.

The Scottish Government has a strong record of investing in roads in the north-east. The city of Aberdeen bypass, which opened fully to traffic in February 2019, was the longest length of road under construction in the United Kingdom at the time, and the programme for government commits to the development of a programme of wider enhanced public transport improvements in the north-east.

Will the minister set out some of those improvements and outline the differences that they will make to the lives of people in the north-east?

Thank you very much, Gillian. I thought that you would still try to get another question in. I will bring in Sue Webber, followed by Foysol Choudhury.

Mr Strang, before you come in, I am not sure that that question relates completely to the work of the task force. It is a legitimate question but, in my view, it is a much wider question. Members should make sure that questions remain on track.

Thank you very much, minister. I will kick off the questioning with a general question, if I may.

Obviously the work of the task force, the wider work of the national mission and the delivery of the task force recommendations have been subject to on-going focus and scrutiny and, within that, there has been some focus on the timescales that you mentioned towards the end of your statement. Are you satisfied that the task force is on course to complete its work within the timescales that have been set, or should they be reviewed at some point down the line?

Did you want to come back in, Gillian?

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.