Wednesday Volume 697 23 June 2021 No. 22 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 23 June 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 833 23 JUNE 2021 834 Mr Jack: As I said, all home nations have the same House of Commons tools at their disposal, yet the drug death rate in Scotland is four times higher. There are no plans to introduce Wednesday 23 June 2021 drug consumption rooms. The current evidence does not support their use. We do support, however, needle and syringe programmes to prevent blood-borne diseases, The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock and the widening of the availability of naloxone to help prevent overdose deaths. PRAYERS Covid-19: Public Inquiry [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab): Whether he Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Orders, has had discussions with the Scottish Government on a 4 June and 30 December 2020). public inquiry on the (a) Scottish and (b) UK Government’s response to the covid-19 outbreak. [901451] [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab): Whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on Oral Answers to Questions apublicinquiryonthe(a)Scottishand(b)UKGovernment’s response to the covid-19 outbreak. [901468] SCOTLAND The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Iain Stewart): I draw the House’s attention to the words of thePrimeMinisterwhenheannouncedtheGovernment’s The Secretary of State was asked— plans for a public inquiry. He said that we should learn Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 the lessons “as one Team UK”and that the Government “will consult the devolved Administrations”—[Official Report, Angela Crawley (Lanark and Hamilton East) (SNP): 12 May 2021; Vol. 695, c. 137.] What discussions he has had with the devolved about the scope and remit of the public inquiry. The Administrations on the effectiveness of the Misuse of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has started the Drugs Act 1971. [901450] conversations with his devolved counterparts. The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr Alister Jack): Rosie Cooper [V]: The Scottish Government revealed May I start by saying that the dream is over, and my earlier this month that they underspent their budget last commiserations go to Steve Clarke and the Scottish year by hundreds of millions of pounds. That is a slap team now that they are out of the Euros? Us Scots will in the face to businesses across Scotland that are struggling now turn our attention to Wimbledon, where we have without the financial support they need. Does the Minister won the men’s singles twice in the last eight years. I also agree that any future covid inquiry must examine whether congratulate Wales and England on proceeding to the the financial support offered to businesses by both knockout stages of the tournament, and I wish them Governments was sufficient and whether it actually well in that. reached those who needed it? In answer to the question, it is a tragedy that drug deaths in Scotland are the worst in Europe and about Iain Stewart: The hon. Lady raises a very fair point. four times those of England and Wales. The majority of This Government have provided unprecedented levels the levers to tackle drugs misuse are delivered and of support to people and businesses in Scotland. Some devolved to the Scottish Government, including health, of that comes through UK-wide schemes such as furlough, education, housing and the criminal justice system, but but other money goes as a fund to the Scottish Government as the First Minister has admitted, they have taken their for them to distribute, and there are serious questions eye off the ball. The United Kingdom Government are about whether that money has been used in the most keen to work with the Scottish Government to tackle effective way and gone to the people for whom it was this scourge, and the Minister for Crime and Policing, intended. I very much hope that will be part of the remit my hon. Friend the Member for North West Hampshire of this inquiry. (Kit Malthouse), held a UK-wide summit in Glasgow. He also invited the Scottish Government to be part of a Mr Dhesi: One of the greatest tragedies in the coronavirus new scheme, Project ADDER, which aims to protect crisis has been the scale of the outbreak in care homes. communities from the harm caused by drugs. The Scottish I know from personal experience that that has caused Government have, sadly, so far declined. untold misery and robbed families across the UK of our loved ones. The brutal reality is that that loss was Angela Crawley [V]: The Scottish Government intend multiplied because of Scottish Government and UK to open an overdose prevention centre in Glasgow to Government decisions to discharge hundreds of patients tackle drug deaths and HIV infection rates. They are into care homes even after they had tested positive for prevented from doing so by this Government’s reliance covid-19. Does the Minister agree that any future pandemic on the out-of-date, ill-fitting drugs legislation, the Misuse inquiry must investigate how the discharge of those of Drugs Act 1971. Ahead of Saturday’s “Support. patients was ever allowed to happen? Don’t Punish” day of action, will the Minister speak with his Cabinet colleagues about the need to reform Iain Stewart: I recall that, in a previous exchange, the the Act and support the Scottish Government’s call for hon. Gentleman mentioned that he had suffered some an urgent four nations summit on this issue? personal family losses as a result of the pandemic, and I 835 Oral Answers 23 JUNE 2021 Oral Answers 836 again extend my sympathy to him. He raises an important the Manchester authorities before announcing a travel question. I am pretty certain that those matters will ban and for its inconsistencies. Cases remain lower than be covered by the inquiry. As I say, the discussions to they are in Dundee, yet Dundonians can travel all over establish its remit and processes are under way. The issue Scotland while those living in Bolton, for example, are of care homes in Scotland is, of course, a devolved effectively banned from travelling to Scotland at all. matter for the Scottish Government, but we want this These varying decisions are having a devastating impact inquiry to be as wide-ranging as possible so that we learn on key sectors. Take the wedding sector, for example. the lessons from the pandemic. Yesterday I was contacted by a constituent whose wedding in Edinburgh is limited to 50 guests but will travel to Ian Murray (Edinburgh South) (Lab): I join the Secretary London the following week to a wedding where guests of State in congratulating Stevie Clarke and the whole are unlimited, and she was at the Glasgow fan zone last Scotland team on cheering up a nation over the past week with 3,000 other supporters. She is deeply frustrated, 10 days or so. As we said in the 1970s, we had a dream. and I am sure the Minister can understand her anger. That dream died, unfortunately, last night, and it will now So does he agree that any covid inquiry should examine have to wait until Qatar next year for the World cup. the consequences that have resulted from the refusal of In recent weeks we have heard scathing criticisms both Governments to work together? from the Prime Minister’s former chief adviser about the UK Government’s covid response, which has no Iain Stewart: I am happy to confirm to the hon. doubt cost many lives. We have even learned that the Gentleman that to the best of my knowledge I have never PM described his Health Secretary as “hopeless”. Most filled any fountain anywhere with any domestic cleaning recently, their dither and delay in securing the borders product. of the UK has resulted in restrictions continuing beyond Turning to the important points that the hon. Gentleman the initial date. Sadly, the people of Scotland have also has raised, the issue between the Mayor of Greater been failed by the choices of the Scottish Government. Manchester and the First Minister is clearly not satisfactory, We know from a recent freedom of information reply and I would urge them both to come to a very sensible that the Scottish chief medical officer advised the Scottish arrangement to allow travel to resume between Scotland Government to say nothing at all in response to the and Greater Manchester. The two Governments do Edinburgh Nike conference outbreak last March. The work closely together. There are several meetings a Scottish public were kept in the dark. These are just week, whether between the Chancellor of the Duchy of some of the major issues, which include the two we have Lancaster and the First Minister or the Health Secretary heard about from my hon. Friends this morning. Will and his counterparts, to discuss all these arrangements. the Government agree with calls for an urgent separate At the end of the day, the Scottish Government have the Scottish judge-led public inquiry into both Governments’ ability to make their own decisions, but a lot of them management of covid-19 in Scotland so that we can are co-ordinated—particularly, at the moment, on the learn the lessons of covid and the grieving families can travel corridors. Of course we constantly look at all get the answers they so deserve? these decisions and have to make often snap judgments in the face of new evidence, but we do so in a way of Iain Stewart: In response to the hon.