Drug deaths in Scotland: Minister Joe FitzPatrick loses job

Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick has lost his job in government after Scotland recorded its highest ever number of drug deaths.

The first minister has appointed Angela Constance as a minister to take charge of the response to the drugs crisis.

She will be a full-time drugs minister, reporting directly to Nicola Sturgeon.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats had been demanding Mr Fitzpatrick's resignation and were preparing a vote of no confidence in him.

Figures released this week showed that Scotland again had the worst drug death rate in Europe.

The figures for last year showed that the number of deaths increased to a record high of 1,264 - double the number in 2014 and giving the country a death rate three and a half times higher than England and Wales.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament on Thursday that the figures were "indefensible" and that her government had to do more to stop people dying.

She also apologised to families who had lost loved ones, and admitted that they had been let down.

Ms Sturgeon pledged to work with Mr FitzPatrick to "to make sure we collectively accept this responsibility and take the actions required to fix the problem".

But she appeared to stop short of openly defending her minister from the criticism that has been directed at him over his performance in role.

Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon claimed that Mr FitzPatrick did not have the confidence of the drug recovery community and those who were "desperately fighting for access to treatment and rehab services".

And she said parliament needed to "send a signal that the victims of Scotland's drug deaths epidemic do matter".

Ms Lennon added: "We owe it to those who have died, their families and the thousands of drug users who are fighting to stay alive today to put someone competent in charge.

"The first minister has said sorry and promised to be more hands-on in the new year. If she's serious about saving lives in 2021, she must have a new minister by her side."

Mr FitzPatrick told BBC Scotland earlier this week that the high number of deaths "stem from a long-standing and complex set of challenges" and that there "really is no shortcut to suddenly solve this".

The minister, who has been in the role since 2018, pledged to "keep doing the job I am doing".

He was also criticised by opposition parties and rebuked by the presiding officer for his performance when he faced questions over the Covid vaccine roll-out at Holyrood earlier this month.

Mr FitzPatrick is the constituency MSP for Dundee City West.