Pubs should be legally obliged to protect public health, say government advisors

A public health objective should be added to the Licensing Act so licensees have a legal obligation to consider their customers' wellbeing, government advisors have today recommended.

The proposal is among a string made by the influential National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), aimed at tackling the UK's alcohol-related problems.

It has also made a fresh call for a minimum price and tough new restrictions on how alcohol can be sold.

NICE, which suggested one in four adults are currently drinking dangerous amounts, is regarded as Whitehall's primary adviser on health policy and its new guidance will be seen as significant.

Its recommendations include:

- A minimum price, to be reviewed regularly "so alcohol does not become more affordable over time"

- "Protection of the public's health" should be added to the current licensing objectives, as is already the case in Scotland

- Alcohol should be made less easy to buy, such as cutting the number of outlets selling alcohol in a given area, or the days and hours that it can be bought

- Applications for new licences to sell alcohol should be based on the number of outlets in a given area, the proposed business times and the potential impacts on crime, disorder and alcohol-related illnesses and deaths

- A complete ban on alcohol advertising should also be considered to protect these high-risk groups even more, as is the case with tobacco products.

Professor Mike Kelly, Public Health Director at NICE said: "It is NICE's job to improve the health of the population, and there is no doubt that if these measures are taken forward, that they will significantly decrease alcohol consumption and thereby offset some of the serious social, economic and physical health problems that arise as a consequence of drinking too much."

And Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians and chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK said the government needed to "confront the culture of low prices, non-stop availability and saturation advertising in order to make a difference and cut the amount we are drinking".

However some elements of the drinks industry remain firmly opposed to the idea of minimum pricing.

Gavin Partington of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: "Sadly, this guidance proposes measures that will not address the root causes of alcohol misuse and will merely punish the majority of British consumers who drink responsibly. Minimum pricing is probably illegal and won't stop problem drinkers."

Brewer SAB Miller said it welcomed the report's focus on alcohol misuse, but was concerned at the proposals on price and advertising.

In a statement it added: "We believe the future focus of government policy should be on the strict enforcement of existing laws to crack down on underage drinking, infringement of licensing regulations and antisocial behaviour.

"In addition, consumers should be encouraged to take personal responsibility for their behaviour and their decision to drink responsibly."

But Alcohol Concern said the government should introduce a minimum price "urgently" before "thousands more lives are affected".