Chamber and committees

In 2012-13 the National Naloxone programme will be further developed and expanded. National training and awareness sessions will continue to be offered to specialist and non-specialist health services and also more widely to police forces, prisons, homeless services, carer organisations, and others. A national training website will be developed, offering access to information and training resources, including a national directory of services, to enable public and professionals in the sector to search for training activity in their local area. This will ensure that anyone who needs a kit issued or reissued can do so easily and quickly.

The Scottish Government is reimbursing health boards for kits. Reimbursement is not limited to one kit per person.

Licensing of medicines is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and is reserved to the UK government. The senior naloxone co-ordinator, has been in regular discussion with the MHRA to discuss the possibility of licensing an “off-the-shelf” naloxone kit. This would make Naloxone kits more widely available in pharmacies across the UK.

For more information on how many naloxone kits have been issued on average to individuals as part of the national naloxone programme refer to the answer to question S4W-06115 on 21 March 2012.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government officially launched the national take home naloxone programme in Scottish Prisons on 1 February 2011 and nationally on 1 June 2011.

We are supporting the roll out with an investment of £1 million from 2010-11 to 2012-13, to provide central resources including: specific support to the Scottish Prison Service, a national naloxone training resource and information materials, reimbursement to health boards for kits and a national monitoring programme. The programme is progressing well, with local programmes being developed in 29 of the 30 alcohol and drug partnership areas and all prisons.

Funding has been provided to health boards for approximately 2,500 kits in 2010-11 and 6,000 kits in 2011-12, as well as funding to Scottish Prison Service for approximately 5,000 kits up to 31 October 2011 (when Health and Addictions Services were transferred to NHS health boards). It is planned that the national monitoring and evaluation programme led by NHS Information Services Division (ISD) will publish data on the number of kits issued as a result of the naloxone programme in July 2012, covering the period April 2011 to March 2012.

It is the intention of the programme to have as wide a reach as is possible and appropriate. Under the national programme, naloxone can be provided to those deemed to be at risk of opiate overdose, staff in the sector working with individuals at risk and friend/carers (provided consent is given by the person at risk) once they have undergone training. The National Naloxone Advisory Group membership includes individuals in recovery and a representative of Scottish Families Affected by Drugs, to ensure the views of families and friends of those at risk of opiate overdose are heard.

Development of local capacity to deliver training is underpinned by the national naloxone training resource, which offers awareness raising and training sessions. Sessions have been delivered across Scotland to specialist and non-specialist health services, as well as police forces, prisons, homeless services, carer organisations, family and community groups and to Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland inspectors to ensure wider awareness of the crucial role of naloxone in reducing drug-related deaths in Scotland. This work will continue in 2012-13.

The Scottish Government’s budget for 2012-13 and those of other public bodies in Scotland take account of the uprate in living wage and pay policy for 2012-13. Decisions about future budgets and pay policy will be taken as part of the annual budget process.

Meaningful, high-quality work experience is very important for young people. What young people lack – generally as a result of their age - is direct and tangible real-life work experience.

The United Kingdom Government need to be vigilant about possible displacement in the labour market or potential exploitation of our young people in their programme. We cannot have employers taking on young people for work experience at the expense of paid employment or our young people being pressed to work for no pay.

In this instance, the DWP have an opportunity to engage with employers and trade unions on the detail of the work experience scheme, to ensure neither young people nor other workers are exploited. In that regard, we welcome the decision by Chris Grayling last week to withdraw the threat of benefit sanctions for young people leaving work experience placements early.

As we finalise the Youth Employment Strategy we will ensure that it encapsulates the positive role that meaningful, high quality work experience can play in helping young people into work whilst guarding against displacement and exploitation.

DWP’s Mandatory Work Activity programme is reserved and a matter entirely for the UK Government. There is no published evidence on outcomes from the scheme so it is impossible to determine the impact this programme in isolation will make on long-term unemployment.