Top Tory ministers in Westminster have been urged to travel to Glasgow this year to take part in a summit on Scotland's drugs death crisis. 

Home Secretary Priti Patel, along with Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Health & Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock, have been invited to show their 'commitment to tackle' the issue' by attending a crisis meeting in the city later this year. 

In a letter sent on Tuesday morning, Scottish Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick asked the trio to confirm their attendance at the event, which currently has cross-party support north of the border. 

Shock figures released by Police Scotland last week revealed 2019 is set to surpass 2018 in the number of drug deaths across Scotland. 

Last year, statistics showed that a record 280 people had died in Glasgow and 1187 across Scotland. However, the rate of deaths in Scotland through the first half of 2019 show 2018's total could be topped, with a total of 1368 predicted if the problem persists, with more than 300 in Glasgow. 

READ MORE: Glasgow Tory MSP urges PM Boris Johnson to commit to drugs summit

This paper has repeatedly called on both governments and the council to come together in Glasgow for an emergency summit.

Now, Mr Fitzpatrick has called for the cabinet members to travel to Glasgow to help deal with the problem. 

In his letter to the Home Secretary, he wrote: "We have been working with Glasgow drug and alcohol services for some time to organise a summit in Glasgow on this issue that I will be hosting.

"There is cross-party support in Scotland for this summit which will be attended by government representatives, local authorities and the chair of Scotland’s Drug Deaths Taskforce and which will ensure the voices of those with experience of using drugs, and their families, are also heard.

"I would like to invite you, Matt Hancock and Alister Jack to attend the summit to demonstrate our shared commitment to tackle this issue. 

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"I look forward to hearing from you on how we might engage immediately on this matter in order to make progress as well as confirmation that you will join me at the forthcoming drugs summit in Glasgow."

The call comes days after Tory MSP Annie Wells urged Boris Johnson to make the drug death crisis his number one priority this year.

The Glasgow politician wrote the Prime Minister asking whether he would organise a summit on drug deaths this year. 

Following the letter, Ms Wells, who is the Scottish Conservatives' public health spokeswoman, said she is willing to consider the decriminalisation of drugs and the introduction of drug consumption rooms. 

In his letter to the Home Secretary, Scotland's Public Health Minister also pleaded for legal changes to be made to allow for radical proposals to be taken forward. 

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Mr Fitzpatrick added: "We are already pursuing the options available to us within current devolved powers.  This includes additional investment in drug and alcohol services and I have set up a drugs deaths taskforce to inform steps to reduce the harms caused by drugs and advise on further changes in practice or in the law, which could help save lives.

"There are other innovative and bold measures that we could be taking to fully embed a public health approach and which, on the basis of evidence from other countries, have the potential to significantly reduce loss of life.

"This would include Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership piloting a supervised consumption facility to supplement the recently established enhanced treatment service in the city.

"This proposal is backed by Glasgow City Council and a majority of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament but requires the agreement of the Home Office, either to make the necessary amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 or to devolve responsibility for the Act to Scotland.

"I would very much like to work with you constructively to bring forward measures that help address the severity of the issues we are facing in Scotland."

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The Scottish Government is to be questioned on drug deaths in Scotland this week. 

Labour MSP Monica Lennon will quiz the government on what action it will take to improve the situation across the country. 

In response, the Home Office called the death numbers 'extremely concerning', but did not respond to questions on whether ministers would attend a summit. 

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of drug deaths across the UK is extremely concerning, in particular the figures for Scotland, and every death is a tragedy.

“We will continue to work with the Scottish Government to tackle drug-misuse and harm and sustain our support for programmes which reduce the health-related harms of drugs, such widening the availability of naloxone to prevent overdose deaths.”