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Spending watchdog to review drugs cash
10/02/2008
Scotland's top spending watchdog has been asked to review how effective the millions of pounds of taxpayers' money invested in drugs services are.
In producing their independent report, Audit Scotland will set their own remit and objectives, and publish an authoritative, full and comprehensive study on the scale and effectiveness of spending on tackling drugs.
Ministers see this report as a crucial foundation in delivering the new national drugs strategy that will be published later this year.
Ministers believe that successive governments' attempts to tackle this massive social problem have been undermined by lack of transparency on drugs spending - and are determined that the new long-term strategy must have a stronger financial base.
Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing said:
"We have already pledged to increase spending on drug treatment by 14 per cent over the next three years from the Justice budget alone. But it's vital that we gain a clearer picture of the true scale of expenditure in this area and what it's achieving.
"That's why I have asked Audit Scotland to look at this as a matter of urgency and to publish a detailed report no later than spring 2009. I'm encouraged that the Auditor General for Scotland Robert Black has already indicated to me that he hopes to bring this work forward in Audit Scotland's planning given the significance of this issue.
"We need to ensure use of public expenditure is transparent, achieves the best value for money, and delivers results.
"With many young Scots destroying their lives by shooting up heroin and other dangerous drugs, we owe it to their families and our communities to make sure our spending in tackling that is much more than a shot in the dark.
"While we await that report, we must also make progress on the policy direction. There is a genuine consensus that our national approach needs a rethink and we need to build on that momentum.
"Our new national strategy will be based on evidence and consensus. It will be wide-ranging: looking at ways forward on treatment, prevention, enforcement and criminal justice interventions.
"We remain determined to deal not just with immediate issues but tackle root causes of crime and social problems in our country - chiefly drink, drugs and deprivation. While the budget to tackle drugs misuse has increased, it must be backed up by local partners being held more accountable to Government to ensure money being poured into services delivers people back into productive and drug-free lives.
"This includes getting a better understanding of how much money is actually being spent by local partners to tackle drug misuse - and its effectiveness - so we can all be confident that the best use is being made of the money currently being spent on drug treatment and rehabilitation."
Recent evidence shows that Alcohol Drug and Action Teams often find it difficult to get a complete picture of local allocations and expenditure on drugs and alcohol services.
Evidence recently taken by the Health and Sport Committee from key interests raised some of the same issues, showing it is not clear how much money is spent on drug misuse. There was a sense that, in some ADATs, the funds were not always put on the table, that they were not always transparent and that there was not always a mechanism for agreeing how the funds would be directed and used.
Ministers believe that the success of our new drugs strategy is dependent on making sure that we have the right local structures in place to deliver improved access, range and quality of drug services. Resources will be made available, supported by changes at a local level to ensure more effective delivery of services.
The new drugs strategy will set out clear national outcomes for tackling drug misuse - providing the focus and foundation for all the work to reform and improve services across Scotland. They will form the basis of a new accountability framework linked to the reform of local delivery structures.