Avoidable deaths

That this House is alarmed by Office for National Statistics data on avoidable mortality released on 18 June 2024 showing that the Avoidable Age-Standardised Mortality Rate (ASMR) for alcohol-related and drug-related deaths has continued to increase in England and Wales; notes that the ASMR for such deaths in England was 25.9 per 100,000 people in 2022 compared with 21.3 in 2019; further notes that the ASMR for such deaths in Wales was 30.2 per 100,000 people in 2022 compared with 24.2 in 2019; recognises that the influx of super strength synthetic opioids such as nitazenes risks a rapid rise in drug deaths; and calls on the Government to focus on public health action, including increasing drug and alcohol treatment provision and expanding availability of the lifesaving antidote to opioid overdose Naloxone, as a matter of urgency.