Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of alcohol consumption on the health of children; and what his priorities are to tackle that matter.

In 2009, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England assessed the impact of alcohol consumption on the health of children. The CMO’s guidance stated that an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest option or if children do drink alcohol, it should not be until at least the age of 15 years old. The Department promotes this guidance through online platforms such as NHS.UK, Talk to FRANK and GOV.UK. Local authorities promote the guidance as part of public health duties.

Education on alcohol use is also a statutory component of 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.