I thank the minister for advance sight of her statement, although I found it to be wholly depressing.
MAT standards 1 to 5 have still not been fully implemented, and there is no guarantee that standards 6 to 10 will be delivered by 2025. As we have heard, the fact that the number of drug deaths has increased by 13 per cent from last year is simply shameful. Since a public health emergency was declared four years ago, almost 5,000 lives have been lost, so any progress on MAT standards and on the safe consumption room pilot in Glasgow represents steps in the right direction, but much more needs to be done.
The massive cuts to health and social care partnership budgets that have been handed down by the Scottish National Party Government have resulted in a reduction of men’s rehab services and the planned closure of Turning Point, which provides women’s rehab services in Glasgow. Its funding was slashed by £850,000. Despite the rising number of drug deaths, the SNP has cut funding to alcohol and drug partnerships by £46.3 million in real terms. That tells us all that we need to know about the SNP’s priorities. What is the minister doing to stop the cuts to drug rehabilitation and treatment services so that more people do not lose their lives in Scotland?