Scottish Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick loses his job over drug death crisis

The decision was confirmed just hours after a vote of no confidence was presented to FitzPatrick in the Scottish Parliament, and two opposition parties said they wanted him to resign.

FitzPatrick had faced persistent calls to resign after annual figures released earlier this week showed an increase to a new record of 1,264 drug deaths last year.

He confirmed that he would resign after an argument with Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

He has been replaced by Angela Constance, who has been appointed as a drug policy minister dedicated to addressing the crisis.

Constance, a former criminal justice social worker, will report directly to the Prime Minister

She will remain in office until the Holyrood election in May, and her appointment will go up to Parliament for approval next week.

FitzPatrick said in a statement: “I spoke with the Prime Minister today and agreed that he should leave the government.

“It has been the privilege of my life to serve in the Scottish government and during that time the most heartbreaking and difficult problems I have faced as Minister of Public Health are injuries and deaths caused by drug use.

“I have worked with families who have felt the burden and the weight of pain from drug use. I want to thank you for your frankness and the incredible efforts that you go into trying to make our country better and safer for everyone.

“As the minister responsible for this area, I ultimately assume my responsibility.

“It is clear that my presence as a minister will become a distraction, when we should be focused on bringing about the change we need to save lives.

“There is nothing I can express that alleviates the loss that so many families have felt due to a death from drug use. I can only say how sorry I am for her loss and that listening to the experiences of families and communities of recovery will never leave me. “

The Scottish government said a new public health minister would be nominated on Monday.

Ms Constance said: “It is a privilege to be asked to work with the Prime Minister to address this challenge.

“I intend to get straight to the point, meet with people who are at risk of dying from drugs, learn from the families we have lost, and work with those in our communities and public health teams who provide support. so valuable. “

Scotland has the worst drug death rate in Europe.

Last year’s 1,264 deaths were double those recorded in 2014, giving the country a death rate three and a half times higher than that of England and Wales.

Sturgeon said: “I am grateful to Joe for his work as a minister and the service he has rendered to the government over the past eight years, first as minister for parliamentary affairs and then as minister for public health.

“While the time has come to make a change in the public health report, no one should doubt Joe’s hard work, dedication and sincerity.

“He will continue to defend the interests of his constituents in Holyrood and I wish him well in the future.”

Scottish Labor and the Liberal Democrats had formally requested it before.

Labor’s Monica Lennon had previously filed a no-confidence motion on the minister on Friday, citing “his inadequate response to address drug-related deaths.”

In reaction to the announcement of FitzPatrick’s departure, he said: “It is correct that Joe FitzPatrick has resigned.

“Having been neglected for too long, Scotland’s drug death emergency must now receive the full attention of the Scottish government.

“Funding is urgently needed to boost access to residential treatment and rehabilitation. The Scottish government should support safe drinking facilities, such as the voluntary service that takes place in Glasgow.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: “After 13 years of failure, no one can trust Nicola Sturgeon’s disastrous drug strategy and the resignation of his public health minister changes nothing.

“If it was the shocking number of drug-related deaths this year, it would have gone on the day the figures were released.

“The families of the 1,264 people who lost their lives to drugs in the past year will feel little comfort from his resignation.

“They are more interested in how we have come to this shameful position after more than 13 years in power of the SNP, with Nicola Sturgeon in charge of health in large part.”

“We urged the Prime Minister to accept our £ 20 million funding proposal for rehabilitation, but got no commitment. All focus must be on the urgent public health crisis of the drug deaths epidemic in Scotland so that we can finally begin to reverse the tragic lives lost to drugs. “

Lib Dems health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Joe FitzPatrick is a nice public figure, but he has repeatedly shown that he is not up to the job.

“He has publicly failed when asked about the vaccine and the devastating drug death statistics.

“He just doesn’t have the confidence of our party.”

On Thursday, Sturgeon described the drug death figures as “completely unacceptable” and admitted that the Scottish government needed to do more to address the problem.

He is due to present himself to MSPs again next month after meeting with a Scottish government task force that is considering a series of public health interventions.

In First Minister’s Questions, he vowed to “work with” FitzPatrick to improve the situation, as opposition parties accused his government of cutting funding for rehabilitation beds.

FitzPatrick earlier this week said the problem surrounding drug deaths had been brewing for “decades.”

He said the high death toll “is due to a number of long-standing and complex challenges” and that “there really are no shortcuts to suddenly solving this.