Glasgow Safer Drug Consumption Facility
Debate between Kirsteen Sullivan and Patricia Ferguson
Patricia Ferguson
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. Many reports have been done on international facilities, which he might want to bring to the attention of his colleagues in Belfast. He is absolutely right that it is not just Glasgow or Scotland that have these problems, although Scotland seems to be suffering particularly badly. There are other models. In Lisbon, we saw a mobile model that accompanied the fixed facility. That seemed to be popular; a queue of people was waiting to use it when we were there—a small queue, but a queue. There are other ways of addressing the issue, and he may wish to consider those.
Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)
As a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, I thank my hon. Friend for securing time for this statement. The report makes it clear that drug consumption rooms are just one of the tools that can be used to reduce drug-related harms and that one intervention must not come at the cost of another. Scotland sustains the highest number of drug-related deaths in Europe. Does my hon. Friend agree that a lack of recovery beds and facilities undermines a holistic, joined-up approach that those living with addiction deserve?
Patricia Ferguson
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. She is absolutely right: it cannot be one thing or another. A holistic attitude must be taken towards eradicating drug misuse. Given Scotland’s particular situation, we have to be open to considering any and all options. But recovery facilities are certainly vital.
Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian Situation
Debate between Kirsteen Sullivan and Patricia Ferguson(10 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Patricia Ferguson
My hon. Friend is absolutely correct. The situation is of course getting worse rather than better as we watch the actions in northern Gaza unfold. The presentation that some of us observed from Professor Mamode was heart-rending in many ways. He also spoke about not having medicines or anaesthetics for people, including children having major surgery. The children were being operated on in hospital beds, the adults on the floor. He also spoke about the young intensive care doctor he knew who contracted hepatitis A and died because of the lack of a relatively straightforward medication. As a colleague said that night, the silence of the room at the end of Professor Mamode’s presentation was powerful.
Kirsteen Sullivan (Bathgate and Linlithgow) (Lab/Co-op)
I would also like to thank Dr Mamode and his colleagues for the incredible bravery and compassion that they have shown to those living in desperate circumstances. They have not only shown immense care but worked tirelessly to shed light on the plight of those people, as we saw in his testimony to last week’s meeting of the International Development Committee. Does my hon. Friend agree that the absolute horrors of treating children and adults without the medical basics, such as swab sanitisers or even anaesthetic, cannot continue and there must be safe routes for medical provisions to enter Gaza? Does she also agree that there must be a future with long-term physical and mental health support?