On 8 March 2022, the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission published Drug and Alcohol Services: An update.
The report says:
"In Scotland, 1,339 people died from drug-related causes in 2020 – the highest ever reported and the highest rate in Europe. Although the number of people dying from alcohol had started decreasing in the early 2000s, it began increasing again around ten years ago and there were 1,190 deaths in 2020. Problem alcohol use also causes wider harm from other related health conditions, crime and economic costs. Longstanding inequalities remain, with people living in the most deprived areas most affected by drug and alcohol use."
Read the report on Audit Scotland's website
Information about the Committee's consideration of the report can be found below.
The Committee took evidence from:
Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; Antony Clark, Interim Director of Performance Audit and Best Value; Jillian Matthew, Senior Manager, Performance Audit and Best Value, Audit Scotland.
Read the agenda and meeting papers, 31 March 2022
Read the Official Report, 31 March 2022
Read the meeting minutes, 31 March 2022
Decision: The Committee agreed to consider its next steps at a future meeting.
Decision: The Committee agreed at its meeting on 28 April 2022 to close its scrutiny of the Drug and Alcohol Services: An update briefing, and in doing so, write to the Criminal Justice, Health, Social Care and Sport and Social Justice and Social Security Committees.