Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Not Addressed
New drug strategy structures improve coordination and accountability, but JCDU remains under-resourced.
Recommendation
The introduction of the From harm to hope strategy has led to positive change. The appointment of a Combating Drugs minister and the nomination of the Home Office permanent secretary as senior responsible owner, alongside the creation of the Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU), has improved coordination across six departments.21 Further, the creation of 106 new combating drugs partnerships has increased collaboration and accountability at a local level.22 We heard from Dame Carol and Mr Trace that these new structures were welcome and created the right “architecture” to implement the strategy, with stronger linkages between local and national government. The JCDU has done a good job so far, including articulating the strategy’s long-term outcomes, but Dame Carol considered that the JCDU needed strengthening as it was under resourced.23
Government Response Summary
The government response describes the 'From harm to hope' drug strategy, its allocated funding, and the roles of various departments and the JCDU in its implementation. It does not address the committee's point that the JCDU needed strengthening due to under-resourcing.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
In December 2021, the government published a new 10-year drugs strategy – From harm to hope. The government is seeking to reduce drug use to a 30-year low and reduce drug-related deaths and crime. It has allocated £903 million of additional funding over the period 2022–23 to 2024–25, including £105 million to disrupt the supply of drugs; £768 million to help create a “world class treatment and recovery system”; and £30 million to create a “generational shift” in the demand for illegal drugs. The Home Office leads on UK drug policy, UK borders and organised crime, policing and crime reduction in England and Wales. The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) is responsible for overseeing the substance misuse treatment and recovery sector. In 2021, the government established the cross-government Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU) to co-ordinate and oversee the implementation of its strategy. In addition to the Home Office and DHSC, the other departments involved are the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC), and the Department for Education (DfE). Local authorities are responsible for commissioning local drug and alcohol treatment services.