Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations her Department has received from the (a) Lord Advocate and (b) Crown Office in Scotland on drug consumption rooms.

Parliament received representations from the Lord Advocate on a range of drug policy issues, including drug consumption rooms, as part of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee’s Inquiry into Problem Drug Use in Scotland in 2019. The Government published its response in 2020 and can be found here: Problem drug use in Scotland: Government response to the Committee’s First Report of Session 2019 - Scottish Affairs Committee - House of Commons (parliament.uk). The Home Office has not received any direct representations from the Lord Advocate or the Crown Office on the issue of drug consumption rooms.

Tackling drug misuse is a priority for this government and it clear that action is needed across all four nations to reduce the harms caused. We are committed to working across the UK and have regular contact with the Scottish Government at ministerial and official level on this issue. While the legal framework on the misuse of drugs is reserved to the UK, the Scottish Government has its own approach to tackling drug and alcohol misuse in areas where responsibility is devolved, including healthcare, criminal justice, housing, and education.