Parliamentary group calls for 'alcohol harm minister'
The group has laid out 10 points in its manifesto that it wants all political parties to commit to minimise alcohol-related harm in the UK.
It suggests that alcohol policy should be returned to the portfolio of a single government minister “to ensure clear lines of responsibility and encourage effective and efficient action to tackle alcohol misuse at a national level.”
Manifesto points
Along with minimum pricing and an alcohol misuse minister, the points of the manifesto include:
- Adding public health as the fifth licensing objective to enable local authorities to make licensing decisions based on local population health need and the density of existing outlets
- To strengthen the regulation of alcohol marketing to protect children and young people
- To increase funding for treatment and raise access levels from 6% to 15% of problem drinkers
- To include a health warning on all alcohol labels and deliver a government-funded national public awareness campaign on alcohol-related health issues
- Reduce the blood alcohol limit for driving in England and Wales to 50mg/100ml, starting with drivers under the age of 21; and
- To introduce the widespread use of sobriety orders to break the cycle of alcohol and crime, antisocial behaviour and domestic violence.
Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford said: “We want to be clear that this manifesto is not designed to end or curtail people’s enjoyment of alcohol – many people enjoy alcohol responsibly and in moderation.
“Instead it sets out some of the key points that the All Party Parliamentary Group believe should form the foundation of a future government’s Alcohol Strategy and deal with the type of alcohol misuse which puts strain on our public services and ends lives all too prematurely.”
