Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations from the expert group on drug-related deaths<i>, </i>published in September 2016.

The Government welcomes the report and its recommendations, which are echoed by those of the Government’s Advisory Council on Drug Misuse. We are committed to preventing avoidable deaths and provide funding to local areas for a range of public health activity.

Recommendations from the expert group on drug-related deaths, published in September 2016, included actions for local and national stakeholders, such as improved treatment provision and provision of naloxone, which has been shown to reduce rates of death due to overdose, and encouraging continued research and investigation into the causes of drug-related deaths.

Public Health England (PHE) is supporting local areas to implement the local recommendations. It has accepted the recommendations for PHE and has a programme of work to deliver them.

PHE is also leading discussions with relevant organisations on the implementation of the remaining recommendations.