What action is the Welsh Government taking in response to the recent research from Drinkaware showing that more than 38 per cent of high-risk drinkers in Wales were drinking more in May 2021 than before the pandemic?
We have continued to work with partners across Wales throughout the pandemic to ensure we have done everything we can to support high-risk drinkers in Wales over this period. In particular, we have worked with our Area Planning Boards (APBs) to ensure a range of services and support are in place to help people who are experiencing alcohol problems.
Throughout the pandemic we have also worked closely with housing partners to support work to provide accommodation for those who are living on the streets. Our substance misuse services have been working tirelessly to ensure they reach out and support the individuals housed as part of the pandemic response, including high-risk drinkers.
To reflect the impacts of Covid-19 we also worked with partners to update the actions in our Substance Misuse Delivery Plan 2019 - 2022 and a revised version was published on 28th January this year. We will be closely monitoring the work undertaken within the Plan to ensure we support people and families impacted by substance misuse.
We also recognise the importance of supporting people with Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) and the treatment pathways in place to support them. A consultation on a ‘Support and Treatment Framework for ARBD’ ran earlier this year and which sought views on the design and delivery of services for ARBD. I hope to publish the framework in coming weeks.
We invest almost £55m in our substance misuse agenda annually, with £1m “ring fenced” to Area Planning Boards for the provision of Tier 4 (Residential Rehabilitation) services. The funding is utilised through placements made via our Residential Treatment Framework “Rehab Cymru” which offers over 30 approved residential rehabilitations settings, including three in Wales. In addition, we made a further £750k available in 2020-21 for Tier 4 Services as part of our response to Covid-19.
During the pandemic, the Welsh Government also worked closely with our Area Planning Boards to ensure services were as accessible as possible, this included providing £360k to support digital inclusion. We also sought assurance that substance misuse support remained in place for children and families who have been impacted by the pandemic, including indications of increased alcohol consumption by parents identified in the Drinkaware research.
Alongside the range of support we provide through our funding for services, from the 2 March 2020, the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018 was introduced. The aim is that the introduction of this legislation will help reduce alcohol related harm and support people to drink responsibly.