Action on irresponsible deals will apply "equally" to on and off-trade

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has promised a clamp down on irresponsible alcohol promotions - part of a new industry code of practice - will apply "equally" to the on-trade and off-trade.

Speaking during a debate yesterday on the new Policing and Crime Bill, Smith told MPs: "The conditions in the code will apply to irresponsibility equally, whether in the on-trade or the off-trade.

"The code will catch irresponsible promotions wherever they are happening."

She admitted it was "obvious" that irresponsible promotions should be banned.

But Smith assured MPs that "the vast majority of those who operate responsibly will not be troubled by the changes", having previously highlighted that alcohol-related crime was down by a third since 1997.

The Home Secretary was responding to MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select committee, who asked: "Why are the government letting the supermarkets off the hook?"

"The problem is not the pubs; it is the supermarkets," he said.

Last week it emerged that a new mandatory drinks industry code of practice could cost the trade £167m to implement in its first year. This would include government-accredited staff training, and pubs being forced to offer 125ml wine glasses and 25ml spirit measures.

Much to the trade's concern, the code is being based on a government-commissioned KPMG report which found a small minority of high street venues not following the industry's voluntary code of practice.

Smith told Parliament yesterday the study had found promotions such as "all you can drink" and "free drinks for women". "Frankly, that is an invitation to binge drinking, and it is not good enough," she said.

But John Grogan, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, warned that pub closures would "rapidly increase" if the code was "too onerous". "The regulatory impact assessment suggested that for a well run community pub that causes no problems to anyone the code could cost £1,100 a year," he told MPs.

He also asked the government to publish the code of practice before the next parliamentary stage of the Bill so it could be "sensibly discussed".