Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with stakeholders on the potential merits of classifying (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction under the Mental Health Act 1983.
No specific assessment has been made and no discussions have taken place. Drug and alcohol addictions are not regarded as mental disorders for the purposes of the Mental Health Act. We are improving treatment and recovery for people with drug and alcohol misuse conditions through the Government’s Ten-Year Drugs Strategy.