National Mission: annual report 2024-2025
Sets out the progress made between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 by national government, local government and third sector partners towards reducing drug deaths and improving the lives of those impacted by drugs in Scotland.
8. Finance
8.1 Overview
The National Mission is delivered both nationally and locally. To achieve this, the Scottish Government partners with, and supports, many organisations across public and third sectors. The National Mission is supported by an additional £250 million over the lifetime of the Parliament (up to March 2026). This finance section aims to provide transparency of the National Mission and wider Drugs and Alcohol policy funding, by setting out:
- where in the Scottish Government budget the funding derives
- the routes by which it is spent – providing a breakdown of the main funding distribution channels and partners and;
- how our funding is broken down by theme.
8.2 Alcohol and drugs budgets
The 2024/25 Scottish Budget provided funding for alcohol and drugs from NHS Territorial Board baseline budgets as well as the dedicated Alcohol and Drugs budget and the National Mission on Drugs budget[2]. This was broken down as follows:
NHS Territorial Board baseline funding[3] refers to Territorial Health Boards budget allocations, for drug and alcohol services which can be spent in response to local need. In 2024/25, baseline funding totalled £57.6m.
Alcohol and Drugs Policy funding is investment to improve the delivery of frontline care; the overarching aim of this funding is to reduce harms and avoidable deaths caused by substance use. In 2024/25, this totalled £37.083m, this included £17m funding commitment from the 2017 Programme for Government which is allocated directly to NHS territorial boards and core operational budget of SG Alcohol and Drugs Policy.
National Mission on Drugs funding totalling £62m includes the additional £50m which the former First Minister committed in January 2021 to deliver the National Mission on drugs, totalling £250m over the duration of the parliament and £12m commitment for delivering the Cross Government Plan.
Table 1: Alcohol and Drugs funding sources for 2024/25
Funding Source 2024/25
NHS baseline
Funding (£000’s)
57,620
Funding Source 2024/25
Alcohol and Drugs Policy
Funding (£000’s)
37,083
Funding Source 2024/25
National Mission Funding
Funding (£000’s)
62,000
Total
156,703
8.3 Funding Distribution
Table x below provides a breakdown of funding allocated in 2024/25[4].
|
Funding Allocated |
Funding (£000’s) |
% Funding |
|---|---|---|
|
Health Board baseline |
57,620 |
37% |
|
Agenda for Change |
5,019 |
3% |
|
Additional ADP funding |
50,300 |
32% |
|
Grants via Corra |
13,000 |
8% |
|
SG Managed |
26,950 |
17% |
|
Key Third Sector Partners (KTSP) |
3,814 |
2% |
|
Total |
156,703 |
- |
72% of all funding is delivered via Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs). This include the baseline funding (37% of total) and funding which is provided for specific funding streams as part of the delivery of priorities (figure x).
8.3.1 Key Third Sector Partners (KTSP)
Key Third Sector Partners (KTSPs) received a total of £5.06 million for both core funding and specific project delivery. KTSPs include:
- Crew Scotland
- Scottish Drugs Forum
- Scottish Recovery Consortium
- Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs
- With You
|
Key Third Sector Partner |
Core Funding (£000's) |
Additional Funding (£000's) |
Cross Government |
Total (£000's) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Crew Scotland |
130 |
- | - |
130 |
|
Scottish Drugs Forum |
853 |
711 |
480 |
2044 |
|
Scottish Recovery Consortium |
630 |
187 |
817 |
|
|
Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs |
168 |
414 |
1,250[5] |
1,832 |
|
With You |
241 |
- | - |
241 |
|
Total |
2,022 |
1,312 |
1,730 |
5,064 |
8.3.2 Corra Foundation
The Corra Foundation is responsible for distributing funding to grassroots and third sector organisations through a suite of dedicated funds. This accounts for 8 percent (£13m) of the total budget. Funding was available by open application for third sector and grass roots funds [6]. Details of the projects and funding awarded can be found on Corra's website.
|
Fund Name |
Funding allocated (£000s) |
Activities supported |
|---|---|---|
|
Improvement Fund |
5,000 |
To provide improved services for outreach, treatment, rehabilitation and after care. £3m was ring fenced for Residential Rehabilitation. |
|
Local Support Fund |
5,000 |
To provide access to funding for a wide range of communities and grassroots organisations which support the aims of the National Mission. |
|
Children and Families Fund |
3,000 |
To improve support for children, young people and families impacted by drug use, and ensure all children, young people and families have access to services. |
8.3.3 Scottish Government managed funds
SG managed funds are funds that were directly administered by the Scottish Government. This includes funding for the following areas of work:
Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Programme (RRRCP) supported access to residential rehabilitation by providing additional capacity, supporting people to access, and supporting people after they leave residential rehabilitation. Funding in 2024/25 was £9.2m.
National Collaborative funding is focused on establishing and running a new national collaboration and totalled £0.5m in 2024/25.
The Cross Government action plan includes a broad range of initiatives which will not only support the complex needs of people who use drugs but also help support prevention and early intervention. Total funding available in 2024/25 was £7m.
Drugs policy division commission services from national boards, academia, and other settings to develop public health surveillance, evaluation, monitoring, and research. Funding in 2024/25 totalled £6.4m.
8.4 Funding breakdown by source and theme
A breakdown of 2024/25 funding allocations by theme and funding source is provided in table x.
|
2024/25 Budget |
Funding Theme |
Funding (£000’s) |
|---|---|---|
|
National Mission Commitments |
Children & Families |
6,500 |
|
Residential Rehabilitation |
17,200 |
|
|
Lived and Living Experience |
1,000 |
|
|
MAT Standards |
10,300 |
|
|
Surveillance |
660 |
|
|
Local and National initiatives |
18,000 |
|
|
Cross Government Action Plan Commitments |
Cross Government[7] |
7,000 |
|
National Mission Total |
- |
60,660 |
|
Drugs Policy Commitments |
ADP PfG delivery |
17,000 |
| - |
Drugs Policy delivery[8] |
12,554 |
| - |
Operational costs |
2,600 |
|
Alcohol Policy Commitments |
Alcohol Budget |
1,250 |
|
Agenda For Change |
Agenda for Change contribution[9] |
5,019 |
|
Total Alcohol & Drugs Policy Total |
- |
38,423 |
|
ADP Baseline |
ADP baseline |
57,620 |
|
Total |
- |
156,703 |