At the end of the week in Parliament on Thursday 9th March Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central raised a document that is entitled Women’s drug and alcohol treatment and 9 other MPs supported her call. On the following Friday an additional MP has signed it as well. The text is below and the document can be obtained from here. The first extra 5 MPs that endorsed the document are the people needed to “The first 6 Members who have signed to support the motion are the sponsors. The primary sponsor is generally the person who tabled the motion and has responsibility for it.” They were in this order Kim Johnson the Labour MP who is at Liverpool Riverside where I did my College when I was 16. Then Caroline Lucas who is the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion where I live and who I vote for. Then Liz Saville Roberts the Plaid Cymru leader and the MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd followed by two more Labour MPs Kate Hollern from Blackburn and Beth Winter from Cynon Valley.

After the first six signed the document there have been MPs with Claudia Webbe who is an Independent ex Labour MP from Leicester East, Grahame Morris from Easington, Ian Mearns from Gateshead, John McDonnell from Hayes and Harlington and finally a SNP MP Allan Dorans from Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock. Let us hope that many more MPs will endorse this next week! Here is the text for the document.

That this House is alarmed to see the rate of both drug-related and alcohol-related deaths among women increase; notes that women face stigma, shame and many initial challenges to accessing treatment services; further notes that women have separate and specific requirements within treatment, including the need for safe, women-only spaces; recognises that, in the past, drug and alcohol treatment services have not consistently been designed or adapted for women, often failing to cater for their distinctive needs; acknowledges the positive steps taken in recent years in appointing Dame Carol Black as independent advisor on drugs and Dame Lesley Regan as women’s health ambassador; applauds the efforts of the Women’s Treatment Working Group, comprising drug and alcohol treatment providers at Collective Voice, in working to ensure that women receive appropriate, bespoke and effective services; and calls on the Government and local authorities to adopt consistent policies and comprehensive provision to meet women’s drug and alcohol treatment needs.

We clearly want more MPs to endorse it and for the Government and Councils to respond on it. On Monday 13th March there were another 5 MPs that have endorsed it. They are: Kate Osborne, Labour Jarrow; Dan Carden, Labour Liverpool Walton; Jim Shannon, DUP Strangford; Jonathan Edwards, Independent Carmarthen East and Dinefwr; Andy McDonald, Labour Middlesborough.

Then on Tuesday 14th March Jon Trickett, the Labour MP for Hemsworth has endorsed it so that brings up 17 MPs.