Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to ensure that parents (a) understand the risks of alcohol consumption in children and (b) do not provide their children with alcohol.

Advice on alcohol consumption is available at NHS.UK, the Talk to FRANK online resource, and GOV.UK. The National Health Service advises that alcohol use in teenage years is related to a range of health and social problems and recommends that children and young people do not drink alcohol before the age of 18 years old. This guidance also includes specific advice for parents and is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/should-my-child-drink-alcohol/

Education on alcohol use is also a statutory component of relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education in England. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning services to prevent, mitigate and treat alcohol-related health harm based on local need, delivered through the Public Health Grant. This includes substance misuse services for children and young people.