Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans for (a) national public-health campaigns to increase knowledge and awareness of the impact of drinking and (b) developing and promoting tailored solutions for harm prevention and resilience-building to reduce alcohol harm among the over-50s.

Public Health England (PHE) launched the Better Health campaign in July 2020 to support people, particularly middle-aged adults, to lead healthier lifestyles. Within the campaign, the Drink Free Days App is one of the support tools provided. PHE’s ‘Drinkline’ is also a free, confidential national alcohol helpline for people worried about their own or someone else's drinking.

PHE continues to plan social marketing activity across a range of health-related behaviours. Plans will be developed with consideration to a number of factors including the existing circumstances relating to COVID-19, the relative economic payback of campaigns on a specific behaviour, the severity and scale of the risk attached to each behaviour and the strength of the evidence base that marketing can help change behaviours. The Department will consider the recommendations made in Drink Wise, Age Well report.